We’ve a sneaking suspicion this won’t go down too well with Manchester United supporters…
Marcus Rashford, as he showed once again at Elland Road the other night, is one of the most talented young footballers around. Despite this, his tender years mean he’s not guaranteed of a regular starting berth for Jose Mourinho.
Over the course of last season, Mourinho opted to play Romelu Lukaku as his only striker. When Rashford did feature, the majority of his appearances came on the left wing.
While it remains to be seen if this situation will change over the course of next season, it’s now been suggested by the Daily Mail that 20-year-old may have to go elsewhere – albeit on loan – in order to secure regular playing time and continue his development.
Their report suggests a number of clubs are interested in taking Rashford on a temporary deal next campaign, including Everton, Leicester City and Newcastle United. Although such a move might make sense in theory, Mourinho sanctioning it is unlikely to be popular with United fans, for whom Wythenshawe-born Rashford is a hero.
Rashford opened the scoring for England in their final World Cup warm-up game against Costa Rica in Leeds on Thursday night. Shooting from distance, Real Madrid’s Keylor Navas was powerless to prevent the dipping effort from finding the back of his net (not that Lee Dixon agreed).
Rashford was not expected to be a starter for Gareth Southgate’s side in their tournament opener against Tunisia a week on Monday, but his man of the match display against Costa Rica may have changed his manager’s thinking.
Harry Kane, who was recently named Three Lions captain, didn’t feature in the game at Elland Road and is expected to be deployed as the lone striker when England kick off in Russia next week.
