Marcus Rashford has reportedly ‘stepped up’ his attempts to leave Manchester United this month after being an unused substitute against Newcastle United on Monday.
Rashford has found himself out in the cold under new Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim.
The England international started and scored in Amorim’s first match in charge at Ipswich Town but has not played since the Europa League clash at Viktoria Plzen on December 12.
His first omission from a matchday squad came three days later against Manchester City.
It was revealed that Rashford’s attitude and application in training was the reason for his absence and he did not return to a matchday squad again until Monday night against the Magpies.
Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, he was an unused substitute, which might be seen as another statement by Amorim, especially given his side’s woeful performance on the pitch.
Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe seems hell bent on getting rid of Rashford and his £350,000-a-week wages this month, but a loan deal feels much more likely mid-season.
Rashford’s asking price is reportedly £50million and that, on top of his wages, will make a January sale very difficult.
There will be attempts from the club to make it happen and it looks like Rashford is actively trying to get out of Old Trafford this month.
MORE ON RASHFORD FROM F365
👉 ‘Toxic’ Rashford will have to take Newcastle ‘pay cut’ to prove he isn’t ‘basically Mudryk’
👉 The player at every Premier League club most likely to pull a Rashford
👉 Ten ‘world class’ Premier League players who had a sh*t 2024 features Man City quartet
According to The Sun, the England forward has ‘stepped up his bid to quit Man Utd’ after ‘holding talks with an agency’.
Indeed, Rashford ‘is in talks with leading sports agency Stellar in the hope of landing a move this month’.
A January sale would vastly improve Man Utd’s chances of improving their squad with incoming signings in the winter transfer window, with Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes a ‘prime target’, the report adds.
Amorim worked with Mendes at Sporting before his big-money transfer to PSG in July 2022.
The 22-year-old might be the perfect left-wing-back for Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, which his new players are struggling to adapt to.
Mendes is ‘keen to answer an SOS from his former boss’ and is worth £45m, it is stated.
He has 18 months left on his contract so the French champions might be open to selling this month, ‘yet United would only be in a position to buy if they can offload players’.
Rashford can be sold for pure profit, which is a godsend in relation to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
This would greatly enhance the Red Devils’ chances of signing new players and Amorim said this week that the club’s current financial position means they are not in a position to buy this month.
“We don’t have that possibility in January,” he said.
“It’s not the case that I can spend a lot of money changing the team.”
It’s almost as if Man Utd should not have given a manager they wanted to replace at the end of last season £180million to spend in the summer, a few months before sacking him.
👉 MORE: Man Utd news | Premier League five-year net spend table | Top goalscorers of 2024
