Manchester United may have secured a thrilling point from their encounter against arch-rivals Liverpool but the form of their strikers will keep Ruben Amorim awake.
Rasmus Hojlund was ineffective upfront and fluffed his lines when put through on goal, an effort reminiscent of the feeble attempt he had managed in the same game last season.
Centre-back Lisandro Martinez showed the Dane how it is done in the second half when he finished from a similar position. Despite another poor performance, Amorim had no choice but to keep him on for the majority of the game.
When he was eventually substituted in the 86th minute, his replacement Joshua Zirkzee also did not cover himself in glory with his final pass to Harry Maguire criticised as the defender had the chance to win the game right at the death.
Rashford’s future lies away from Old Trafford
The Portuguese could have changed things sooner if he had the option of bringing on Marcus Rashford, who remains the club’s joint top scorer in the Premier League with four goals.
However, the Mancunian has already declared his intention to leave his boyhood club with the head coach not picking him for the last six games in a row as a result.
However, his asking price and wages of £300,000 per week (as per capology) make him difficult for clubs to afford midway through the season.
Loan offers from Italy and Germany have arrived with INEOS looking at a permanent solution while the player has rejected the chance to join clubs in the Middle East and Turkey.
Spain is where the Englishman wants to play next with Barcelona his preferred choice but initially, reports seemed to suggest the Catalans did not have the means to land the United academy graduate.
But SPORT have a different tale to tell currently, with the Camp Nou outfit now looking at a potential loan deal with an option to buy provided the England international reduces his wage demands significantly.
And during the loan period, the Red Devils will need to cover the majority of his wages. Not the best deal for the new co-owners but if Barca can match their asking price next summer, it could be a great deal.
Barca back in the race
“The Blaugrana club knows perfectly well that his (Rashford’s) salary is absolutely unaffordable in the current economic situation of the club despite having returned to the famous 1-1 rule. Rashford would earn the most in Barcelona and that is neither contemplated nor will be done.
“Another thing is that the mess between the player and Manchester United is helping to find a viable solution for all parties.
“And, for now, it seems that it could be a loan with an option to buy in which the player would have to reduce the 18 million euros he earns per year and United would help pay part of that salary. And under these conditions, things look different.”
Not to mention if Rashford manages to regain his form, the 20-time English league champions could potentially fetch a lot more. Whether such talks materialise in the coming days remains to be seen.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
