Marcus Rashford to rejoin Manchester United for preseason after Barcelona loan ends
Marcus Rashford will return to Manchester United for preseason after his loan spell at Barcelona concluded, and he is due to join United’s training session in the Republic of Ireland next week following England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals, Simon Stone of the BBC reported.
Barcelona did not exercise the option to sign Rashford permanently following his loan, with the club opting against a reported £26 million transfer fee. Rashford scored 14 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions last season while helping Barcelona to the LaLiga title. Instead of signing Rashford, Barcelona completed the acquisition of England team-mate Anthony Gordon from Newcastle. Michael Carrick is expected to welcome Rashford back as he returns to his childhood club for the preseason.
United have spent part of their preseason in Scandinavia, with matches staged in Finland, Norway and Sweden. Their upcoming schedule includes a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain, described in the source as the European champions. A subsequent Premier League derby at Croke Park against Leeds United is on the itinerary, a match the club report suggested might be too soon for Rashford. The club’s immediate training plans in Ireland are set to precede those fixtures.
Rashford could be available for another friendly on Saturday, August 15, at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, against AC Milan. The source names AC Milan’s manager as Ruben Amorim, referred to there as the former Red Devils head coach. The article states Rashford is likely to return for the pre-season match against AC Milan. That game is presented as a realistic early chance for him to feature after rejoining United.
The source recounts that Amorim’s comment that Marcus Rashford “doesn’t give the maximum every day” led to the forward being benched for the Manchester derby in December 2024. It also records that Rashford later said he was “ready for a new challenge” and subsequently went on loan to Aston Villa before enjoying a successful season at Barcelona. The 28-year-old publicly expressed a desire to remain at Barcelona, but the permanent move did not materialize.
Carrick has been described in the source as keen to integrate Rashford into the squad, while Rashford will be aiming to revive his career at Manchester United upon his return. The club’s preseason itinerary and the reported transfer decisions at Barcelona frame his immediate pathway back into United’s plans.
Rashford’s next confirmed milestone in the reporting is his planned arrival for United’s training session in the Republic of Ireland next week, and the earliest specified match in which he is likely to appear is the pre-season friendly against AC Milan on Saturday, August 15, at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw.
