Former Manchester United assistant Rene Meulensteen has backed Marcus Rashford to “return” to the Premier League giants this summer.
Rashford left Man Utd in this year’s winter transfer window to join Aston Villa on loan with an option to buy for around £40m.
The Man Utd academy product announced his intention to depart for a new challenge ahead of the window and was linked with several European giants before he signed for Aston Villa.
The England international’s poor form and huge salary proved huge stumbling blocks for interested clubs, but Aston Villa decided to take a punt on the forward after they sold Jhon Duran to Al Nassr.
This gamble is paying off as Rashford has three goals and four assists in his 12 appearances across all competitions.
Over the weekend, a report claimed Rashford’s Man Utd ‘career is over’ with ‘no way back’ under head coach Ruben Amorim.
Despite this, Meulensteen has explained why he thinks Rashford “will return to Man Utd” this summer.
“I think Marcus Rashford will return to Manchester United for the new season,” Meulensteen said.
“If you believe the market and how it reacted to him becoming available in January, there were obvious reasons why he never made the move that he wanted to – it never materialised.
“He wanted to make the move to Barcelona; it didn’t work out for him. He wanted to make a loan move which turned permanent at the end of the season – this didn’t work out either. Aston Villa can sign him if they wish, but they aren’t obligated to do so.
“He may not have many other options; I’m presuming that he wishes to stay in Europe.
“There’s a possibility that he has enjoyed his football so much at Villa, they could end the season with a few trophies, and they have some bigger knockout fixtures coming up in the FA Cup and the Champions League – these are the games that he wants to play in.”
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Meulensteen has also urged his former club to keep Kobbie Mainoo amid reports suggesting they could cash in on the midfielder to raise funds.
“Kobbie Mainoo looked brilliant when he stepped into the senior Manchester United team from the youth setup,” Meulensteen added.
“He has his entire career ahead of him and the team should do what they can to keep him; I’d be very sad if they decided to sell him.
“At the end of the day, they don’t have another young and energetic midfielder like him, he has proven that he can play at that level.
“I wouldn’t be hasty to let him go, but it’s clear that he has fallen to the wayside – the situation needs rectifying.
“It may be as a result of financial regulations that they are looking to explore a deal with clubs for him, but to me, he looks like the kind of player that you would build that side around for years to come.”
