Marcus Rashford’s bombshell interview could spark an all-timer January transfer saga, but what is his most likely post-Manchester United move?

The wantaway Man Utd forward laid his cards on the table in an eye-opening interview with journalist Henry Winter, which was weirdly released in such a non-2024 way. 

In truth, Rashford‘s exit from Man Utd has been a long time in the making and it is the right next step for all parties as relations between the player and his boyhood club have become increasingly toxic over the past 18 months.

Rashford has been the subject of intense criticism for his “stinking” attitude as he’s looked a shadow of the player who bagged 30 goals in 2022/23 and needs to rediscover his love for football.

Presumably, Man Utd would prefer for Rashford to stay and shine where he belongs, though it’s hard to imagine as Ruben Amorim’s appointment has not had the desired effect on his performances and application.

Amorim suggested otherwise (and he was very impressive in his explanation) but Man Utd should be looking to close this book sooner rather than later so Rashford can depart amicably instead of overstaying his welcome leading into the summer.

The potential pure profit sale of Rashford (plus five other exits) could seriously bolster Amorim’s war chest ahead of what’s bound to be a pricey rebuild, but who will sign the 27-year-old? Here’s our ranking of the six betting favourites (from least to most likely) based on their chance of being his next club…

6) Chelsea
A repeat of the Jadon Sancho situation? Probably not…

Sancho’s loan move to Chelsea was one of the summer’s most surprising transfers, but the reborn winger would be upstaged by his former teammate if there’s an unexpected reunion at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are looking like the real deal under Enzo Maresca as they sit top of the Premier League form table. The head coach has also juggled a lot of plates pretty comfortably as he’s – barring the odd exception – kept his already oversized squad happy.

Maresca’s side are unlikely to immediately dismiss Rashford; like every Premier League club, his potential arrival would improve their squad and it’s an idea that should at least be discussed.

Still, Chelsea are already well-stocked in wide areas, while Nicolas Jackson’s development is easing their centre-forward problem.

READ: Marcus Rashford leaving Man Utd: A case for the Premier League Big Eight

5) Saudi Pro League
Rashford ditching Man Utd for a switch to the Middle East – a la Cristiano Ronaldo – is the current second-favourite in the betting, To some extent, this is understandable as Saudi Pro League clubs would be able and willing to meet INEOS’ demands in a heartbeat, while the player could even get a rise on his reported £325,000-a-week salary.

Still, it would be extremely disappointing if Rashford tarnishes his reputation by following Ivan Toney in signing for a Saudi Pro League club too soon. As he said, he’s only “halfway through” his career and has plenty still to give in a more competitive league.

A move to Saudi Arabia (or the MLS) next would undermine what Rashford said in that interview and he’ll know that such a transfer will open the door to endless ridicule when he needs to be sufficiently tested if he’s to prove his doubters wrong.

And he would wave goodbye to any England ambitions in an instant. He is no Jordan Henderson and Thomas Tuchel is no Gareth Southgate.

4) Arsenal
An intra-Premier League move to link up with his biggest fan is another possibility for Rashford, but Arsenal are arguably the most likely English club to get a deal done.

Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes have faded in recent months; mainly due to their frailties in attacking areas, including their over-reliance on set-pieces. Bukayo Saka continues to hold up his end of the bargain on the right, but the same cannot be said for Gabriel Martinelli, whose underwhelming form leaves the door open for Mikel Arteta to brutally pursue an upgrade.

Rashford would not be an immediate upgrade on Martinelli, but he would provide much-needed quality competition for the Brazil international. Arteta would also likely fancy his chances of rebuilding the Englishman, who could play in his favoured position.

Man Utd to Arsenal (and vice-versa) transfers are not too uncommon and a loan/straight buy in January would boost the latter’s title hopes, but a fresh start away from the prying eyes of English media feels more likely and what he needs.

MORE MARCUS RASHFORD COVERAGE ON F365…
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3) Paris Saint-Germain
Gone are the days of Rashford being touted as a viable Kylian Mbappe replacement as he does not warrant such a tag, but PSG – rightly or wrongly – remain the first club that comes to mind when you consider the next possible destinations for the Man Utd star.

This is largely because the Ligue Un giants were serious about signing him in 2022 and hindsight being 20:20, Rashford may regret saying no and committing to Man Utd.

The Rashford transfer is not as exciting a prospect as it once was for PSG, though they still could decide to take a calculated punt with his market value on the decline. 

But Rashford’s chances of playing for PSG have likely been and gone as their revamped transfer strategy means he is no longer the “type of player they are pursuing”.

READ: Marcus Rashford is ‘talentless ambitionless spineless waste of space’

2) Atletico Madrid
One Man Utd star is reportedly in line for a ‘dream’ transfer to Atletico Madrid and Rashford could potentially join him in moving to La Liga.

It’s reported that Rashford’s ‘preference would be a move to Spain’ and luckily for him, a couple of clubs might be willing to take him off Man Utd’s hands.

Real Madrid’s immense depth in attack likely rules them out, but Atletico are a more realistic possibility for the Englishman. He’d have to give his head a wobble before working with Diego Simeone as the demanding head coach would not stand for a player lacking endeavour, mind.

1) FC Barcelona
If the Spanish media are to be believed (spoiler: they’re not), Man Utd and Barcelona are already ‘discussing’ a swap deal involving Rashford.

Like PSG, Barcelona are another European giant that’s regularly been mooted as a possible future destination for Rashford.

Barcelona’s ongoing financial woes remain an obstacle and they certainly won’t be buying Rashford outright, but a creative loan (or the aforementioned swap deal) could give them a chance, especially with the player’s desired exit route pointing towards La Liga.

Manchester United need to raise funds and quickly, so here are six potential transfers in 2025 that could bring in £200m for Ruben Amorim’s huge rebuild…

The extraordinary finish to the Manchester derby should give Amorim‘s underperforming squad a much-needed confidence boost, but Man Utd (nor Man City, really) deserved to take all three points from a bizarre match.

So, the fact remains that the Red Devils require an almighty rebuild in 2025 as Amorim – who has inherited a basket case of a club suffering after years of poor off-field decisions – has a massive job ahead of him.

It feels like Groundhog Day again, as this was also the case in 2022 upon Erik ten Hag’s arrival. Since the Dutchman’s appointment, dire recruitment has contributed to Man Utd arguably going backwards rather than forwards.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe supposedly brought in the ‘best in class’ to support him but it remains to be seen whether his increasingly laughable regime is up to the task of leading Man Utd.

Failings in the transfer market leave Amorim with fewer than ten ‘unsellables’ and upgrades are required all over the pitch if they are to return to challenging for the Premier League and Champions League any time soon.

Unfortunately for Amorim, Man Utd have a ‘tight budget’ heading into the winter transfer window and may have to sell players to raise funds.

So, from the least expensive potential deal upwards, here are six somewhat feasible 2025 sales (fees taken from transfermarkt) they could sanction to bolster Amorim’s war chest…

Casemiro to Galatasaray (£10m)
Ratcliffe and co. are rueing the previous regime’s baffling decision to give the ageing Casemiro a four-year (plus extension option) contract when he was bought from Real Madrid for an eye-watering £60m in 2022.

Casemiro’s form has sharply declined since his positive debut season. He does not appear to be part of Amorim’s plans as the 32-year-old has been an unused substitute in United’s last three Premier League games.

Realistically, Man Utd just need to get Casemiro’s high wage off the books and this could come as a free transfer. A Saudi Pro League move has consistently been mooted, but there is also reported interest from Galatasaray, who could give him an opportunity to ply his trade with/against several Premier League has-beens (including Jose Mourinho) in the Turkish Super Lig.

READ: Seven reasons to be cheerful as Manchester United fans features Amorim’s lieutenant

Andre Onana to Inter Milan (£29m)
David De Gea’s replacement overcame a couple of post-transfer disasterclasses in the Champions League to establish himself at Man Utd. He’s been one of their better performers over the past 18 months.

Despite this, Man Utd have still consistently been linked with potential upgrades and his worrying recent performances (which have seen him lose his spot as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League) are starting to justify these calls.

United have more prominent priorities to address than replacing Onana, but the 28-year-old is among very few valuable assets that could attract interest; a return to Inter Milan to replace 36-year-old Yann Sommer (for a fee lower than they sold him) could suit all parties.

Joshua Zirkzee to Juventus (£34m)
Ratcliffe’s best of the best have shown themselves to be the opposite since being appointed in the summer and the Zirkzee signing has swiftly been proven a misstep.

In the summer, Man Utd needed a natural No.9 to challenge Rasmus Hojlund, but Zirkzee – whose lack of pace and poor hold-up play has been alarming – is absolutely not that. He was brought in as a low-cost option when a better-suited alternative could have been pursued and as the saying goes: ‘Buy cheap, buy twice.’

So a new striker is required to compete with Hojlund and Zirkzee’s exit could pave the way for this transfer.

Juventus are among the clubs linked and their director didn’t exactly rule out signing the underperforming forward when recently asked about the topic, saying: “I can just say that Zirkzee is a very good player, but he’s under contract at Man Utd. I can’t add more now, we’re focusing on completely different things now.”

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Alejandro Garnacho to Atletico Madrid (£41m)
One of the two players brutally omitted by Amorim for the derby, Garnacho’s inclusion among fellow ‘unsellables’ raised eyebrows as his recent form and attitude have not justified his inclusion in this exclusive club.

Following Amorim’s implementation of his preferred 3-4-3 formation, Rio Ferdinand questioned whether Garnacho and four other players fit into the head coach’s system and the Argentina international certainly has not been helped by the appointment of Ten Hag’s successor.

Whether as a wing-back or No.10, it’s felt like Garnacho was shoehorned into Amorim’s team pre-derby and the head coach is reportedly ‘willing to facilitate’ his exit in 2025. A ‘dream’ return to boyhood club Atletico Madrid is said to be on the table and he is perhaps the only player who could attract a fee higher than his current market value…for pure profit, too!

READ: Man City and Man Utd are ‘mere vessels for ego and soft power’

Lisandro Martinez to Real Madrid (£41m)
Largely due to his height, Martinez was written off before even making his Man Utd debut, but he’s silenced his naysayers by surpassing all expectations at Old Trafford.

Man Utd’s defence features on an overgrown list of issues, though Martinez was sorely missed when he was injured. He also fits perfectly in Amorim’s three-man defence as a left-sided option.

Most players leaving Man Utd in 2025 will either step sideways or downward, but Martinez is one star whose performances justify a move to an elite European club and he Premier League giants would reportedly be ‘tempted’ to cash in if Real Madrid step up their interest.

Marcus Rashford to Arsenal (£45m)
Rashford’s derby omission hammered another nail in his coffin en route to leaving Man Utd, which could happen sooner than most expected after his bombshell interview with journalist Henry Winter. 

The England international has progressively descended deeper into mediocrity since shining during Ten Hag’s debut season in 2022/23 and he has much fewer exit options than a couple of years ago.

In the Premier League, Arsenal (or Tottenham Hotspur, maybe) stick out as a possibility but they are still a bit of a stretch. For the Gunners, head coach Mikel Arteta is capable of reviving a fallen star and Rashford could be a nice fit in his preferred role as a left-winger. Gabriel Martinelli certainly requires sterner competition after plateauing in Bukayo Saka’s shadow.

Man Utd have made an offer for Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams as they line up a replacement for Marcus Rashford, according to reports.

The Red Devils are currently 13th in the Premier League table with only Everton, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Ipswich Town scoring fewer goals than them in the league this term.

Man Utd forward Rashford and summer signing Joshua Zirkzee, in particular, have come in for a lot of criticism for their performances.

Rashford and Man Utd team-mate Alejandro Garnacho were left out of the Red Devils squad by Ruben Amorim for their 2-1 derby day victory over arch-rivals Man City on Sunday over their attitude.

And Rashford announced on Tuesday, in an interview with journalist Henry Winter, that he wants to leave Man Utd for a “new challenge” with the January transfer window just around the corner.

The England international told Winter: “For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.

“When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.

“If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse. I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.”

When asked if he’ll always be a Red Devil, he answered: “Yes! 100%. 100%.”

MORE MARCUS RASHFORD COVERAGE ON F365…
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👉 Marcus Rashford is ‘talentless ambitionless spineless waste of space’

And now fans want to know where Rashford will going and who could potentially replace the Man Utd academy product, who has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.

Reports from Spanish publication Fichajes insist that Man Utd have already ‘chosen’ Rashford’s replacement with the Red Devils ‘targeting’ Athletic Bilbao’s Williams.

It is understood that Man Utd have ‘submitted a formal bid for the Athletic Bilbao winger in a bid to secure young, explosive talent for their attacking line’.

But the report warn that a transfer ‘will not be easy, as the player has also attracted interest from clubs such as PSG and FC Barcelona’.

Williams has a release clause of €58m (£48m) and PSG and Barcelona are ‘also keen to bid heavily for the player’ but Man Utd ‘seem determined to lead the race’ to sign the Spain international.

Despite Amorim’s insistence Rashford ‘remains part of his plans’, it is claimed ‘that his departure would be imminent if a suitable offer arrives’.

Manchester United have put Marcus Rashford up for sale and the England forward has said he doesn’t want to stay anyway. Where the hell could he end up?

We make a case for each of the biggest eight clubs in the Premier League.

Arsenal
Marcus Rashford might not be the ideal candidate for Arsenal but there is no doubt that a new (preferably left-sided) forward should be signed in the winter transfer window.

The Gunners have been underwhelming in attack in too many matches this season, with not enough players able to create something out of nothing and Gabriel Martinelli’s unreliability allowing teams to gang up on Bukayo Saka – and Martin Odegaard to an extent – on the other side.

Rashford’s best position is on the left, from where he can cut inside and pelt shots at the goalkeeper, and Arsenal’s biggest weakness is in that area of the pitch. It is no coincidence that Martinelli’s form has declined following Granit Xhaka’s exit; the combinations between the two, with Oleksandr Zinchenko getting involved too, enabled the Brazilian to have the best season of his career in 2022/23.

There are options for Arsenal – including Rafael Leao, Nico Williams and Rodrygo – but Rashford could be the one. There is clearly a player in there and with the right management, we could see him again. Arteta has a wonderful record with wide players, helping Saka develop into a world-class talent and working closely with Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and others at Manchester City.

But Sterling is an inconvenient truth in the Rashford to Arsenal propaganda. He can’t get a kick in the Premier League and with Rashford reportedly available on loan, this represents a similar risk. It’s clearly not working with Sterling, so you can’t imagine the Gunners potentially repeating the same mistake with the Manchester United man. Still, Rashford is younger and surely a little bit tempting.

Arsenal need an X-factor, a difference-maker, in the final third and a motivated Rashford can bring that to the table, but bringing that potential and effort out of him might just be impossible.

READ: Rashford to Arsenal, Garnacho to Atletico? Six potential 2025 Man Utd sales to fund Amorim rebuild

Aston Villa
It’s all gone a little bit stale at Aston Villa, hasn’t it? Their Premier League form has dipped rather dramatically, dropping home points to Bournemouth and Crystal Palace (who knocked Unai Emery’s side out of the Carabao Cup with a 2-1 victory at Villa Park too) while they were well beaten by Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea, all in the same run. After going six domestic matches without a win, Villa beat Brentford and Southampton at home but threw it away at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Unai, my friend, can we tempt you to sign a player who is known to oversleep for team meetings, phone in sick after venturing to a nightclub and go out partying after demoralising defeats? He works really hard on the pitch, we promise!

In Villa’s previous two games, Emery’s wide players were John McGinn and Matty Cash and no natural winger came off the bench with Jaden Philogene an unused substitute and Leon Bailey injured. McGinn is terrific but better in the middle and Cash is not the best right-back, let alone right-winger.

Rashford might be the forward Aston Villa need to rejuvenate their attack, and he provides some lovely depth exactly where Emery needs it.

A couple of years ago, the idea of joining Villa would have been laughed off for Rashford but now it can be regarded a step up from Man United. They are in the Champions League and on course to finish in the top eight, thus automatically progressing to the last 16. Now that’s appealing, isn’t it Marcus?

Chelsea
It’s time to reunite Rashford with his pal Jadon Sancho. This situation is similar to the one in which Sancho found himself under Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman outed the winger for his poor performances in training and clearly was not fond of his overall conduct. They publicly fell out and Sancho returned to Borussia Dortmund on loan for the second half of 2023/24. Rashford can leave on loan with a permanent sale mid-season pretty unrealistic given his huge wages, which reportedly exceed £350,000 a week.

Chelsea are known to make some…questionable decisions in the transfer market and signing Rashford would certainly be bold and against their policy of buying young, but this is an unpredictable club and they might need to replace Mykhaylo Mudryk – even if they already have 100 wingers.

Rashford and Sancho are players who need to be in the right environment to thrive and while Chelsea have been a shambles in recent years, the tide is turning and things are very positive under Enzo Maresca’s management. Maresca has been key in getting Sancho going again and could be the catalyst Rashford needs to enjoy his football and get back in the England squad.

The overriding point is that we can’t put this transfer past the Blues. Because it would be silly, innit?

Liverpool
Now this would be quite something. “Best away, atmosphere wise, as a fan? Anfield,” Rashford said in August. Hmm. ‘Shock Rashford admission proves he is open to Liverpool transfer’ is a future Reach title destined for a pasting in Mediawatch, isn’t it?

Arne Slot’s favourite players are wide forwards too. Liverpool were linked with Yankuba Minteh and Anthony Gordon in the summer before signing Federico Chiesa. Slot is also loving utilising all of his wingers and is bringing the best out of Mohamed Salah, which did not seem possible considering his previous best was pretty f**king good.

Luis Diaz has also been in good scoring form, Diogo Jota is doing Diogo Jota things and Cody Gakpo is finally thriving in the Premier League. It is not a coincidence and shows that Slot is capable of getting Rashford flying again.

Honestly, there is no chance this happens but you never bloody know, do ya?

Manchester City
Although he came through the club’s ranks and is a boyhood fan, Rashford might want to stick the middle finger up on his way out and going to United’s Manchester rivals to win every pot and pan imaginable would be him doing exactly that. He has said he doesn’t want to leave on bad terms but things could turn even more sour before the end of January.

Rumours of Man City wanting Paul Pogba is our case, your honour. Rashford and Pogba had an understanding at United, epitomised by Jose Mourinho’s expert analysis at half-time of a lockdown match between Spurs and the Red Devils, predicting the Frenchman finding his team-mate with a pass over the top from the right-back position. Run it back, lads; back to those amazing days together where you won soooo many football games and had a totally brill time.

A more consequential point is that Man City have one forward listed on the first-team squad page on their website. That is not enough. And that forward is very one-dimensional, which has not been a problem ever…until now. Erling Haaland scores a lot of goals but doesn’t do much else, which means he is in the spotlight for the wrong reasons when he draws a blank. He is obviously not the ‘League Two footballer’ Roy Keane has claimed but he is not creating anything for himself with City playing like absolute dross.

Pep Guardiola sold someone who played 54 times across all competitions last season in Julian Alvarez and did not replace him, which seemed weird at the time and looks downright idiotic now. There is no alternative anymore and Rashford would provide that. His love for Man United is strong but playing a team capable of winning anything and everything is appealing.

TL;DR: City didn’t replace Julian Alvarez in the summer and have no cover for Erling Haaland. Also: Paul Pogba knows him well and might sign for City.

Manchester United
Come on guys, think of all the good times and believe Ruben Amorim can get the boy flying again. We know he has said he is ready for a new challenge but Rashford scored on his Man United and European debut against FC Midtjylland, bagging a brace as an 18-year-old whippersnapper with no fear days before another double from the striker on his Premier League debut against Arsenal.

He also scored on his Champions League and League Cup debuts and second FA Cup appearance, helping the Red Devils win a replay at West Ham in a season they went on to win the competition. Rashford was supposed to be a legend and he still can be.

If he stays, he can become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and hopefully Sunday’s Manchester derby omission is the kick up the backside required. He needs to find that motivation within him to get over this hump and really kick on under Amorim. It will be difficult because not only have the fans turned on him, but the club appear to have too with their transfer stance.

With 138 goals for the club, the 27-year-old is 115 behind Wayne Rooney, which is quite a mountain to climb but it will take that sort of goalscoring form to save his United career.

While shifting his ridiculous salary would benefit the club, Rashford can justify the money he makes and Amorim would obviously love to be the one who resurrects his career rather than give up on him straight away like everyone else…

MORE MARCUS RASHFORD COVERAGE ON F365…
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👉 Marcus Rashford is ‘talentless ambitionless spineless waste of space’

Newcastle United
We are not sure if Rashford would go for this but Newcastle are maybe the only team for whom he would be an immediate starter. He is comfortably better than Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron and debatably better than Harvey Barnes. Furthermore, Callum Wilson is a constant sick note and relying on Alexander Isak to produce every match is not sustainable.

The good thing about Rashford is that he can play anywhere across the front and a move to Newcastle would provide them some much-needed depth through the middle and give them a stellar option on the right or left, if Eddie Howe prefers him there with Anthony Gordon on the other wing.

Newcastle arguably have the most compelling case for signing Rashford and that case is very simple: he makes them a better team.

Tottenham
This is the most predictable transfer rumour of 2025 already. Having been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona in the past, it would be a kick in the teeth to become a reported Tottenham target. But they are his level right now.

Ange Postecoglou isn’t having Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson’s purple patch seems to be over, while Richarlison is always injured and Heung-min Son is past his best, even if his 2024/25 statistics are still pretty good. Rashford would offer a good sort of different to the Spurs attack and like with Newcastle, would surely start for them.

Can he co-exist with Son or would he be the long-term replacement? Rashford’s numbers in Cristiano Ronaldo’s only full season back were awful and while Son does not possess the same ego and is nowhere near as selfish on the pitch, he is becoming a bit like 2021/22 Ronaldo, who was largely uninvolved but still scored a lot of goals. That hints towards the answer to that question being no.

Rashford wants a new challenge, does he? Doesn’t come more challenging than winning a trophy at Spurs, mate.

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Before his bombshell interview with Henry Winter, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford was reportedly ‘sent home from training’.

Rashford has endured a woeful 18 months as he has been on the decline since scoring 30 goals across all competitions during Erik ten Hag’s debut season in 2022/23.

The Man Utd academy product has been heavily criticised for his performances and attitude and was omitted from Ruben Amorim’s squad for the Manchester derby at the Etihad on Sunday.

Alejandro Garnacho was also left out and this bold decision paid off as Man Utd battled back from behind to beat their arch-rivals 2-1.

It’s been evident for a while that all is not well with Rashford at Man Utd and he revealed his desire to leave in a bombshell interview with Winter on Tuesday. 

READ: Marcus Rashford leaving Man Utd: A case for the Premier League Big Eight

He revealed: “For me, personally, I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.

“When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings.’ You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Man United. That’s me. I will always be a Red…

“When I leave Manchester United, I’ll make a statement and it will be from me. That’s for sure… Lack of professionalism? I do feel misunderstood but I’m fine with it. I’m a very simple person. I love football. That’s been my life from the beginning…

“I’m halfway through my career. I don’t expect my peak to be now. The best is yet to come? 100%. That’s my mentality…

“It’s disheartening to be left out of a Derby but it’s happened, we won the game so let’s move on. It’s disappointing but I’m also someone as I’ve got older I can deal with setbacks. What to do? Cry about it? Or do my best the next time I’m available.”

MORE MARCUS RASHFORD COVERAGE ON F365…
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A new report from The Daily Mail claims Rashford ‘was sent home from training due to illness just 24 hours after his Manchester derby snub’.

‘Marcus Rashford did not train with his Manchester United team-mates after being omitted from the matchday squad for their derby win over Manchester City on Sunday.

‘On Monday, hometown boy Rashford, who has been at the club for two decades and scored 143 goals, was sent home sick from training.

‘Club policy is that those who are unwell should attend Carrington where they will be assessed by a doctor. Rashford was deemed to have a high temperature and left the complex.

‘However, the following day he was at his old primary school, where he handed out 420 presents – and dropped a bombshell story.’

Man Utd starlet Alejandro Garnacho could yet stay at Old Trafford despite speculation linking him to Atletico Madrid, according to reports.

The Red Devils have had a difficult season in the Premier League with Man Utd currently 13th in the Premier League almost half way through the new campaign.

Only Everton, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Southampton have scored fewer goals than Man Utd this term with the Red Devils’ forward players coming in for criticism.

Garnacho has come under the spotlight on occasion, despite being one of their most effective players, and was left out of their squad to face Man City on Sunday.

The Argentina international was omitted, along with team-mate Marcus Rashford, as the Red Devils recorded an impressive 2-1 away win at their arch-rivals.

When asked why the pair had been left out against Man City, Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim told reporters: “Selection.

“We try to evaluate everything – training, performance, game performance, engagement with the teammates, push the teammates up.

“Everything is on the line when we analyse and try to choose the players, so it was my selection. Simple. I don’t want to send a message (to the dressing room with this). It’s simply an evaluation, and they know it.

“The players are really, really smart and so everybody understands my decision and I have to choose. It’s just a simple selection. Of course the context is difficult – we have to win games and we have a difficult situation now.

“But, like I said, I pay attention to everything – the way you eat, the way you put on your clothes to go the game. Everything. I make my evaluation and then I have to decide. I have a lot of players to choose (from) and today I did my choice.”

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Fabrizio Romano warned of the “consequences” Amorim’s decision could have on their futures with Spanish side Atletico Madrid linked with a January move for Garnacho.

A report on Tuesday claimed that Man Utd boss Amorim is ‘willing to facilitate the player’s departure’ and that will ‘open the door’ to a potential transfer to Atletico Madrid.

But Football Insider insist that Garnacho ‘is not yet headed for a move away from Old Trafford despite his derby day axing’ and now ‘the ball is now in the court of the Argentina international to turn things around in the coming week’.

The report adds: ‘It is understood the 20-year-old winger is not currently being lined up for an exit in the transfer market.’

According to reports, Marcus Rashford has decided his transfer ‘preference’ after he revealed in an interview that he wants to leave Manchester United.

The England international has been heavily criticised for his performances and attitude over the past 18 months. He has been on the decline since scoring 30 goals during the 2022/23 campaign.

27-year-old Rashford has just four goals and an assist in the Premier League this season but has gone missing in various matches.

New head coach Ruben Amorim has clearly not been happy with what he’s seen from the forward, who was omitted from United’s squad for the Manchester derby on Sunday.

Following this snub, Rashford revealed in a bombshell interview with journalist Henry Winter that he is “ready for a new challenge”. 

READ: Rashford to Arsenal, Garnacho to Atletico? Six potential 2025 Man Utd sales to fund Amorim rebuild

He said: “For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.

“When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.

“If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse. I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.”

Rashford has been consistently linked with Ligue Un giants Paris Saint-Germain in recent years, but a report from The Telegraph claims his ‘preference would be a move to Spain’.

MORE MARCUS RASHFORD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Rashford to Arsenal, Garnacho to Atletico? Six potential 2025 Man Utd sales to fund Amorim rebuild
👉 Marcus Rashford leaving Man Utd: A case for the Premier League Big Eight
👉 Marcus Rashford is ‘talentless ambitionless spineless waste of space’

However, there are doubts about a move to two Spanish clubs, while one ‘obstacle’ could prevent Rashford from leaving Man Utd in January.

‘It is thought Rashford’s preference if he does leave United would be a move to Spain although Real Madrid appear well stocked in attack and there are serious doubts about how Barcelona, if interested, could fund a move given their financial predicament.

‘Paris Saint-Germain have been long-term admirers of Rashford and it remains to be seen if any Premier League suitors would test United’s resolve. Signing Rashford would also be considered a huge coup by Saudi clubs.’

Speaking on being omitted by Amorim for the derby, Rashford admitted: “It’s disheartening to be left out of a derby but it’s happened, we won the game so let’s move on.

“It’s disappointing but I’m also someone as I’ve got older I can deal with setbacks. What am I going to do about it? Sit there and cry about it. Or do my best the next time I’m available.”

He added: “I do feel misunderstood but I’m fine with it. I’m a very simple person. I love football. That’s been my life from the beginning.”

“Regardless of what gets said about me I have my own dreams. I’ve achieved parts of it. But I’m not at where I want to be. But the problem is when you get there, you create another thing. It’s a cycle that never stops. There’s not really an end point.”

Marcus Rashford deciding to leave Manchester United is the issue of the day, though there’s still room for some real Man City anger.

Send your views on all subjects to theeditor@football365.com

Raging at Rashford
Dropped for ONE game, and goes on to give an interview talking about moving on and joining another team. What a talentless ambitionless spineless waste of space this man has been. One of my favorite players since he came on, he has gone the Lingard & Martial way as expected. No willpower to back his talent. A lazy and careless attitude. No willingness to improve or fight. I feel a bit icky that he was a player I really admired at one point.

It speaks volumes how one quick reprimand for below-par performances, and the toys are out of the pram. There is not a decent club in the world who would pay above 30m for him. That is Championship level fees for a distinctly average player, who will of course not get any decent offer cause he is a bit crap. I am on my knees praying that PSG or Bayern throw some 40-50m at us to get rid of this huge liability to the club in terms of wages, attitude and performances.

The players who are currently better than Rashford in the United squad in his position:

– Amad
– Bruno
– Mount (Better gameplay and attitude)
– Garnacho
– Hojlund
– Sancho (Technically still a United player)
– Antony (Better attitude and effort)

So yeah, being 8th choice at a club that has at best an average squad, is a shameful indictment of Rashford. He is better off in lesser leagues where the pace is slower. Just so so disappointed that he chose to do all this drama and interview after a fantastic derby win. If you want to leave, speak up when the window is open. Not 2 days after you have been dropped. It comes across as crass and uncaring.

Good luck and good riddance, hope they manage to sell him off on 1st January. It’s time we had some standards for the squad.
Aman

MORE MARCUS RASHFORD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Rashford to Arsenal, Garnacho to Atletico? Six potential 2025 Man Utd sales to fund Amorim rebuild
👉 Marcus Rashford leaving Man Utd: A case for the Premier League Big Eight
👉 Marcus Rashford is ‘talentless ambitionless spineless waste of space’

Marcus Rashford is a line in the sand
It always makes me chuckle when is see a headline like ‘Marcus Rashford is put up for sale by Man United’. How is a person put up for sale? They aren’t used cars, they can’t just be listed on some Premier League version of Auto Trader. “One Premier League forward, 27 years, reasonable condition, available immediately, £40m o.n.o, no time wasters”

If we’re assuming such reports of Rashford’s imminent exit are true, and given the gleaming record of football transfer speculation why wouldn’t we, then it would represent a monumental ‘line in the sand’ action from Man United’s management team.

Amorim is so deftly honest and charming that all his comments seem to land perfectly. His explanation for the absence of Garnacho and Rashford from the derby squad was short but instantly reverberated with how we see both players. The over indulgence of Rashford, the celebrity he has become, but also the danger for Garnacho to follow that same path. It felt like a challenge for the youngster and a dismissal of the veteran.

Marcus has always been the golden boy, the favourite son of Manchester United, even when he wasn’t. Locally born and raised, at the club since the age of 12, bursting from the academy with speed and threat, a moral leader, a quiet unassuming character, a potential for greatness. He is the embodiment of United’s identity. If he was ever to leave it would have been on his terms, because the club had failed him, not lived up to his ambition. Now though those roles are reversed.

Dead weight isn’t tolerated in Ratcliffe’s new United. His arrival preceded lay offs at all levels of the club from sales staff to board members, coaches to players. Rashford is different only in the size of the challenge to move him on. At £15m a year and three years left to run, his contract is a difficult obstacle and will mean some major concession of transfer fee to any interested party. That the fee will be 100% profit in PSR terms will help but whatever the result his leaving would represent a bad day for both club and player regardless of whatever spin can be conjured.
Dave, Manchester

Would Man City be better without Haaland?
Someone made reference to Haaland and van Nistelrooy the other day and there’s, for me, some interesting parallels.

Now I love me some Ruud, he was our talisman when I was at my peak match going age and living on Sir Matt Busby Way; the man is and was an absolute United legend. However, at the time he departed, brought to a head by personality clashes with a young Ronaldo, there was a sense that the team had become too reliant on him for goals. His numbers were extraordinary, but the rest of the team were scoring less. The whole attacking operation had become about creating chances for him and we’d ended up a bit one-dimensional.

Fast forward a couple of seasons, and we’re lifting a league and European cup double with Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo playing as a fluid front three and goals coming from all over the pitch. We’d let our single biggest source of goals go, but we’d become a better attacking side as a result (admittedly fuelled by two generational talent youngsters).

Where this compares to Haaland is that I think City could hurt you in more different ways prior to his arrival when they’d use false nines and endlessly score 6 yard tap ins from cutbacks. Haaland’s arrival initially added a new dimension, that actually took them to another level, but as time has worn on, that new dimension has increasingly become the only dimension and they’re far more predictable and easy to defend against.

Now I might be talking total arse, and that actually it’s because their other attacking ideas revolve around de Bruyne (increasingly creaky), Foden (inexplicably dropped off a cliff) and Doku (shit) but there’s definitely something wrong at the moment.
Lewis, Busby Way

Man City fans are angry
Absolute bullsh@t article, typical anti mcfc propaganda from 365 as normal, NAME your contacts to prove their comments, NO fu@king chance, stick to pandering and ar@e licking your red cartel American owned mardar@e clubs and like all  of us Mcfc Mancunian fans stick your lies and slandering antic mcfc articles where the sun doesn’t shine, no wonder journalism is on its AR@E with journalists and sites like yours, rant over.
Steve Jones, mcfc season ticket holder for over 50 years and proud Mancunian born and bred and more importantly so proud of my club

….Full of rubbish you are. Seriously stop putting absolute rubbish again about man city and their players it’s sad and pathetic like your website you clearly know nothing about football and constantly putting absolute garbage as usual your all bloody pathetic muppets gwt a life you looser.
Craig

Bigging up Boehly
Never really thought I’d do this but writing in to demand more appreciation for the Boehly Eghbali brains trust. I’m not going to be a hypocrite – I did think there were crazy moments and really thought it might all go to shit when they had their civil war at the beginning of the season.

However now, the common line going around the mails and a lot of f365 features is ah well, throw money and a good coach at it and results will come.

Firstly, the BE brains trust made a huge strategic decision to spend high on transfers for the first couple of windows all on talented youth. This is not just throwing money, this is a deliberate strategy expecting that a young talented squad gels over time because I guarantee you that there are no more summer windows like the two just gone by. The spine (minus GK – I think our CBs are pretty decent) is set for many years and will hopefully only get better.

Secondly, a bit of nuance on the money spend would be nice. The lowering of wages and amortisation of long contracts with clear incentives (Jackson and Palmer getting upgraded contracts after good seasons) is also smart (and the opposite of a certain Ratcliffe) – cutting wages where it is most effective and still persuading elite talent to join – just drooling over Estevao joining next season. It was a sticking point with Osimhen and the BE trust stayed strong.

There were also two bits of ruthless decision-making reminiscent of our dear Roman – getting rid of Poch and selling Gallagher. I was against both decisions and that’s why I’m a fan. While both were good, neither were taking us to elite club status. Sterling too – at least arsenal are helping to pay half for him to sit on the bench.

So yeah, a bit of nuance please – this was never a throw money and something will stick. Like most good plans, this was long-term focused, principled, and blocked out the noise.
Saaj (CFC)

Hindsight is 20:20 and we can’t pretend we saw all these problems coming, but there are a few summer sales Premier League clubs and/or the players involved might now be regretting.

Manchester City really could do with Julian Alvarez right now. Or at the very least they could do with having spent some of that lovely, lovely money they got for him on another competent back-up striker.

Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
As we move through this list it will become clearer and clearer that it’s generally not so much the selling of a player that proves problematic, but the inadequate replacing of said player’s role within the squad.

That is very much the case with Manchester City and Julian Alvarez. Clearly, they would currently very much be able to call on a player who was involved far more than you might remember and contributed far more than anyone gave him credit for.

Nobody made more appearances for City last year than Alvarez’s 54, and even allowing for plenty of those being relatively brief substitute cameos he was still well inside the top 10 for total minutes on the pitch. Only Erling Haaland and Phil Foden scored more goals for City than Alvarez’s 19; only Rodri contributed more assists than his 13.

He was the perfect example of a vital squad player. He might not be in the first-choice starting XI, but he was absolutely in the first-choice finishing XI and was hardly the sort of spare part player Pep Guardiola is talking about in his ‘long squad’ talk.

All of that being said, £80m is a lot of money for a player who isn’t going to start every week and City’s willingness to do business at that price makes perfect sense.

But only, surely, if a decent chunk of it is then reinvested in someone to do the really quite important job Alvarez had been doing.

Guardiola’s citing of Oscar Bobb and James McAtee as possible Alvarez alternatives already within the squad always felt wildly optimistic. Alvarez is not a hugely promising youngster but a seasoned international. And even if City were looking to replace Alvarez from within, there is already enough evidence from this season that Liam Delap was the best option they had and they sold him too.

There has been misfortune, too, along the way: Bobb’s horrific injury, Foden’s total and catastrophic loss of goalscoring form. But Guardiola’s claims back in August that not replacing Alvarez ‘might’ be a mistake and not wanting a player who wouldn’t be involved for 10 months always felt like flimsy reasoning.

Alvarez made 54 appearances and racked up almost 3500 minutes on the pitch last season. The idea that any halfway adequate replacement would risk not being involved for 10 months is absurd.

READ: New Walker contract and Cole Palmer sale among Guardiola and Manchester City’s biggest transfer ‘mistakes’

Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
This one’s a bit different. It might not have been as specifically obvious that selling McTominay was an error, but the whole way United went about their summer 2024 business as if Erik Ten Hag had a realistic chance of remaining their manager in the long term always appeared to be an act of wilful delusion to the point of self-sabotage.

As none of us at that time knew who would be the manager to lead United into 2025 beyond the near-certainty that it wouldn’t be Ten Hag, it was hard to know at the time which particular bits of work would appear most misjudged when looking back a few months down the line. But it did seem likely there would be some mis-steps that could perhaps have been avoided had some proper decision-making been applied in the summer.

Had, for instance, United known that Ruben Amorim would be their manager by now, would McTominay have been so readily discarded? Not sure. He isn’t perfect, and it probably is true that a team with aspirations at United’s level should be looking beyond players of McTominay’s limited ability, but he is also a far closer facsimile of the agile and mobile and energetic midfielders that have been at the core of Amorim’s Sporting blueprint.

He perhaps lacks the technical ability to be the ideal man for the task, but is a far rounder peg for that particular hole than either Casemiro or Christian Eriksen can ever hope to be at this stage of their careers.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Rashford to Arsenal, Garnacho to Atletico? Six potential 2025 Man Utd sales to fund Amorim rebuild
👉 Every Premier League club’s worst player in 24/25: Mudryk, Walker, Jesus, Mount, Ferguson…
👉 Man Utd: Rio Ferdinand slams those who ‘wrote off’ Red Devils star for five reasons

Michael Olise (Crystal Palace)
Alvarez with knobs on, basically. It’s not that selling him that is the regret. It’s not like Palace are only now going “Oh, he was quite good, wasn’t he? Who knew?”

It is a fact of life for those outside the gilded elite that sometimes you have to cash in on a prize asset. It’s not pleasant and is often extremely painful, but it’s how you survive. What you must do, though, is replace that lost contribution in the round. Brighton, of course, are the absolute masters of this. Another fine example this summer came with Bournemouth replacing Dominic Solanke’s all-round contribution remarkably well with Evanilson.

Palace did not pull off that trick with Olise. And then the problem escalates. Because Olise is one of those gem players whose contributions are immense in and of themselves but also for the way they elevate others.

Not only have Palace lost Olise, but they are left with players like Eberechi Eze who are shadows of themselves in his absence.

None of this is on Palace, really. It’s harsh. Olise is so good – and has proved it at Bayern – that he is an outlying example of this phenomenon and in truth probably nothing that was in Palace’s power to do could have made it whole. But you do wonder if they might have done better than they did.

Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)
A miserable transfer, this. Rushed out of the door with indecent haste at the start of the summer as Villa battled desperately to stay above the PSR waterline and the result is a £50m transfer that has worked out for absolutely nobody.

Villa managed to escape punishment, sure, but have been a noticeably weaker and softer proposition this season than last in the absence of a player who might not have quite had Rodri-level importance to his team’s overall play but was close enough for it to be the go-to comparison.

But what makes this one so dispiriting is that while Alvarez and Olise have at least themselves thrived, it appears to he is having regrets. His Juventus move has been a nightmare for him, with injuries and an almost pathological habit of conceding penalties looking like they might end his career in Turin almost before it has begun.

He has started only two Serie A games this season and completed a full 90 just once. His three appearances in the Champions League have amounted to 49 minutes in total, with a muscle injury denying him the chance of returning to Villa Park to play against his old club in a place with some happier memories.

READ: Danny Welbeck, Douglas Luiz among five stars who could re-sign for former PL clubs in January