Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown has revealed he hopes Marcus Rashford remains at the club beyond the January transfer window and that he “sorts things out” with head coach Ruben Amorim.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Peoples Person, courtesy of New Betting Sites UK, Brown was asked whether he felt Rashford should look to leave Old Trafford this month, with the club open to his departure before the February 3 deadline.
“I don’t think it’s as simple as that,” the 45-year-old replied. “When you’re on a lot of money like [Rashford is]; first of all, you need teams to want you. It’s not as easy someone who is on less money.”
Rashford’s current salary at United is believed to be in excess of £300,000 a week, having agreed a blockbuster new five-year deal in the summer of 2023. However, since that deal was signed, the 27-year-old’s form has declined significantly on the pitch.
There have also been multiple incidents off the field, most notably when Rashford missed training due to an unauthorized night out in Belfast – described by The Sun as a “12-hour tequila bender” – three days before an FA Cup fourth-round tie. Rashford was dropped for this match as a result.
There was hope that the chance for a fresh start under Amorim, who swapped Lisbon for Manchester during the November international break to replace Erik ten Hag.
And Rashford began life under the Portuguese coach brilliantly, scoring in the 2nd minute of Amorim’s debut match against Ipswich Town. The next Premier League fixture saw the 27-year-old go one better, scoring twice as United ran out 4-0 winners over Everton at Old Trafford.
However, the situation soured a few weeks later with Amorim dropping Rashford, along with fellow attacker Alejandro Garnacho, for the Manchester Derby on December 15. The Portuguese coach explained the pair’s absence was not a disciplinary issue, but related to their “performance in training” and standards off the pitch.
Three days later, Rashford released an interview with journalist Henry Winter where the forward revealed he was “ready for a new challenge” away from Old Trafford. Since this point, Rashford has not played for United; and this does not appear likely to to change any time soon.
The 27-year-old has not even been selected for a match-day squad by Amorim, outside of a game against Newcastle where injuries forced the Portuguese coach to include Rashford. The next week, for the trip to Anfield to face bitter rivals Liverpool, he was once again omitted from the squad.
Rashford’s representatives have entered negotiations with a number of clubs this month, including Barcelona, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund. A loan move is considered the only viable exit given the 27-year-old’s lack of form and exorbitant wages, but even a temporary exit from Old Trafford has proven unworkable for Rashford to find.
And it’s this issue with wages which leads to Brown’s assertion that Rashford’s departure is far from “simple”, believing there is “too much involved” for a deal to be agreed in the final week of the window.
Barcelona remain interested in signing Rashford on loan before the February 3 deadline, but they need outbound transfers to be able to bring the 27-year-old in. Similarly, Dortmund retain hope a last-minute deal can be agreed with United, but it would require a significant portion of Rashford’s wages to be covered for a loan to be agreed.
Neither of these potential departures will be ‘simple’ for Old Trafford executives to negotiate.
However, Amorim’s comments following the 1-0 win over Fulham on Sunday evening – the head coach claimed he would rather put 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital in his squad than a player who “do[esn’t] give the maximum every day,” – will have reiterated to the club’s senior figures that Rashford’s future is a ‘simple’ one for their head coach.
Amorim is evidently not backing down over his assessment of Rashford’s position in his squad, and Brown believes, “at the moment, you do not see that changing.”
Brown, an academy graduate who went on to win 13 trophies during the most successful period in the club’s history, describes the situation as “horrible” given Rashford has come through the youth system at Old Trafford. He maintains the forward is a “very important player” for the club and wants the “whole thing to be resolved, in whatever manner.”
The former defender concludes, “I just hope Marcus gets back to playing football, enjoying himself and scoring goals. My hope is he doesn’t go and he’s at the club till the end of the season, and he sorts it out with the manager.”
Featured image Stephen Pond via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
