Almost nothing has actually happened in the Great Marcus Rashford Transfer Saga of 2025 over the last 24 hours, but that hasn’t stopped the content machine going brrrr.
We say ‘almost nothing’, but we are now able to eliminate one of the several hundred clubs who could theoretically sign him in the coming days, so that’s progress of sorts.
Statement of intent
Marcus Rashford remains the biggest/only name in town as the January transfer window rumbles quietly and forlornly onwards with almost nothing actually happening, in accordance with tradition.
He’s everywhere again today, but annoyingly a lot of the coverage is just about fair enough. There’s definitely a bit of mischief with the ‘not on speaking terms’ stuff about him and Ruben Amorim that started with Jamie Jackson in The Guardian and has been gleefully jumped upon by the tabloids.
It’s not wrong, it’s just a loaded phrase, isn’t it? There’s a suggestion of personal animosity where it’s really more just professional irrelevance from Amorim’s side. There are probably lots of players not in his matchday thinking with whom he is also technically ‘not on speaking terms’.
But if they’re not on speaking terms, how do they communicate? Through ‘statements’ of course, as the Mirror solemnly declare here.
Ruben Amorim issues new Marcus Rashford statement with ‘red lines’ explanation
It’s a bit like when two friends fall out at school, and speak only through a third party, except here instead of the third party being an exasperated mutual friend, it’s a media determined to be sh*thouses about it.
We’re not sure exactly when everything a manager says in an interview became a ‘statement’ but we do know what Amorim has said would previously have been described as a ‘message’ but this time cannot, for reasons you’ll soon see.
“I don’t want to give messages to anyone,” Amorim said in an interview with TNT Sports Mexico, as per Sport Witness. “I’m just very clear about what the players have to do. I’m demanding in certain things, but then I’m a coach like everyone else.
“There are just certain red lines that I feel that, for a group to win games and titles, you have to follow a criteria. And so, if there’s no such criteria, then it’s all very subjective. And there are certain things that we have to be very clear with the players. That’s just it. I don’t want to send messages to anyone.”
Mediawatch notes with interest that Amorim hasn’t even used the words ‘Marcus’ or ‘Rashford’ in this ‘Marcus Rashford statement’.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Mailbox: Rashford earning ‘F-off money’ creates issues amid Man Utd ‘deterioration’
👉 Man Utd: ‘Surprised’ Marcus Rashford ‘left with one transfer option’ as Tottenham stance surfaces
👉 Ranking every post-Fergie Man Utd manager’s first signings as Amorim closes in on Dorgu
Rash move
But Amorim isn’t the only man issuing Marcus Rashford statements for the Mirror to pore over. Oh no.
Man Utd transfer news: Marcus Rashford transfer statement issued as £35m deal moves closer
Regular Mediawatch readers will already be hearing sirens and seeing flashing lights at the sight of that ‘as’, and we’ll come to that.
But let’s start with the ‘Marcus Rashford transfer statement’. Has it come from Marcus Rashford? No. Has it come from anyone connected to Rashford, or indeed Manchester United? Haha, you know it hasn’t. Come on.
It has of course come from the vice-president of Fenerbahce, Acun Ilicali. He has confirmed Fenerbahce will not in fact be signing Rashford at this time.
Mediawatch looks forward to several hundred more of these statements over the coming days as every club across Europe and beyond is forced to confirm they will also not be signing Rashford.
Now, back to that ‘as’. Because Fenerbahce NOT signing Rashford doesn’t really feel like it means a deal ‘moves closer’. And that is of course because that has nothing to do with Rashford or Fenerbahce at all.
It’s about Patrick Dorgu, who Man United want to buy for £30m but Lecce don’t want to sell for less than £35m.
If we’re being complete pricks about it, which we’re afraid is exactly what we’re going to be, there’s not really anything in this particular update to justify the ‘moves closer’ even for that ‘deal’. It remains a move that is likely to happen but one not yet agreed, something that has been the case now for several weeks.
Harry’s Game
Nice little interview in The Sun with Owen Hargreaves, where he speaks at some length about Bayern Munich’s defensive frailties and the potential for said frailties to scupper their hopes of winning the Champions League.
It’s all fair enough, and from a former player with plenty of authority to discuss Bayern Munich and the winning of Champions Leagues. But vaguely interesting quotes from knowledgeable former player butters few football journalism parsnips in 2025.
So we get this headline.
Harry Kane could be robbed of Champions League fairytale by Bayern Munich’s biggest downfall, fears ex-England star
And then this intro.
HARRY KANE could be robbed of a Champions League fairytale this year unless Bayern Munich learn to defend better, according to Owen Hargreaves.
By this point, we clearly don’t need to even bother asking you handsome lot how many times Hargreaves utters the words ‘Harry Kane’. Or, indeed, the word ‘robbed’ which is a very weird framing of ‘probably won’t win it unless they defend better’. Is every team that doesn’t win a trophy robbed? Or only when that team has the England captain in it?
The final kicker here, just to elevate this above the standard disingenuous framing Mediawatch sees dozens of times a day, is that it’s a sponsored interview Hargreaves has done in association with TNT Sports. So if they’d asked him to say the words ‘Harry Kane’ he absolutely would have said the words ‘Harry Kane’. They just don’t care.
Safety dance
There’s a passionate defence of the new Champions League format over on Mail Online this morning from Lewis Steele. While Mediawatch disagrees with pretty much the entire premise, we are trying to grow and learn and accept that others can have different opinions and while, sure, they may not be as good or uniformly correct as ours they are nevertheless still valid in their own little way. So that’s fine. Honestly, it’s fine. We’re fine. It’s fine.
We do have to take issue with this line, though, on a technical and factual basis. Much as it pains us to do so.
But the jeopardy of climbing the table, fighting for play-offs and no safety-net of the third-placed sides dropping into the Europa League, it feels like the drama has been amped up.
You’ve said it right there: fighting for play-offs. That is the safety net.
In the old Champions League, 16 teams qualified and eight further teams landed in the Europa League safety net.
Now eight teams qualify directly, with 16 teams in the play-offs. Which the cleverest boffins and stats nerds among you will have spotted is still 24 teams, isn’t it? They haven’t got rid of the safety net; they’ve just replaced a Europa League safety net with a Champions League safety net.
Strip tease
Mediawatch has been doing this a long time now, and we like to think we’ve developed a good nose for headlines that contain dangerous levels of bullsh*t. But sometimes it’s just very, very obvious. Like this Daily Star headline, for instance.
Paul Pogba teases third Man Utd spell with cryptic four-word social media post
All manner of clues here. ‘Pogba’ is one, straight away. And ‘teases’ and ‘cryptic’ and ‘four-word’ and ‘social media’. Really all we’re missing here for a full house is ‘clue’ or ‘hint’.
Paul Pogba has dropped a major hint about making a sensational comeback to Manchester United after his 18-month ban for failing a drugs test is done.
There it is! We’re only six words in and a cryptic tease has already become a major hint. It’s basically a done deal. What’s this hint, then.
In a series of posts on his Instagram story, Pogba shared a cartoon showing him stood next to Amad, with the pair wearing United kits. He also shared a second snap of him looking out over Miami with the caption: “Let’s see what’s coming…”
Miami/Manchester. Basically interchangeable, aren’t they?
What about this cartoon, though. With Amad? Well first it is a cartoon and not real, which we really don’t feel like we should have to explain to be honest. And second, in that picture Amad is wearing the current United kit and Pogba is pictured in an old one. From when he played for Manchester United. In the past.
One could just as easily consider the cryptic meaning or major hint or whatever here to be a passing of the torch, if one were so inclined.
