It is approaching 18 months since Marcus Rashford was last seen in a Manchester United shirt, the England international having trudged off following a lifeless display away at Viktoria Plzen back in December 2024.
His subsequent omission from the Manchester derby spelt the beginning of the end for his time under Ruben Amorim, even after an initial bright start with three goals in the Portuguese’s first two Premier League games in charge.
One misdemeanour too many proved the final straw, amid reports of a night out ahead of his brace against Everton, with Rashford only making the matchday squad once more, before heading to Aston Villa in January.
A dream move to Barcelona has followed, and while a permanent stay at Camp Nou appears likely, talk of a return to Manchester has not gone away, not least with Michael Carrick now back at the helm.
|
Rashford at Man Utd |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Manager |
Games |
Goals |
|
Solskjaer |
135 |
55 |
|
Mourinho |
125 |
28 |
|
Ten Hag |
113 |
42 |
|
Rangnick |
22 |
2 |
|
Van Gaal |
18 |
8 |
|
Amorim |
6 |
3 |
|
Van Nistelrooy |
4 |
0 |
|
Carrick |
3 |
0 |
|
Total |
426 |
138 |
That potential homecoming might well be needed considering the lack of depth on the flank, although could that all change this summer?
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From an era dominated by left-sided wingers, United arguably don’t have any in the current ranks, with Patrick Dorgu more of a left-back or wing-back by trade, while even Matheus Cunha isn’t an orthodox wideman.
The INEOS regime had overseen something of a mass exodus with regard to forwards last summer, with Rashford and Jadon Sancho both heading out on loan, while Alejandro Garnacho was sold on to Chelsea.
Heading into this summer, a midfielder is the priority, but that left flank can’t be ignored, with SportsBoom reporting in recent days that United are in the mix for Bodo/Glimt sensation, Jens Petter Hauge.
As the report noted earlier this week, the Red Devils and rivals Manchester City are currently monitoring the situation, while Arsenal are also firmly in the mix for the Norwegian’s signature.
The belief is that the Champions League surprise package would be willing to cash in on the 26-year-old for the right price, ensuring an offer of around £35m would likely be accepted.
Hauge, formerly of AC Milan, has seen a statement move away from his homeland backfire in the past, but could it be a different story this time around?
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Hauge’s fruitful second spell at Bodo would suggest that the old cliche of ‘never go back’ isn’t always accurate, although in the case of Rashford, there would be a sense of why dredge up old wounds by bringing the 28-year-old back into the fold.
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Indeed, unlike the Scandinavian – who departed for Milan as a bright young thing in 2020, before returning four years later – Rashford’s initial exit wasn’t exactly a warm farewell, after a rocky few seasons on and off the field.
Excluding the highs of his 30-goal season in 2022/23, the one-time wonderkid had toiled either side of that, notably scoring just four league goals in 2021/22, as well as just seven in 2023/24.
While there have been signs of life in his current home, with 24 goals and assists in all competitions, Rashford still isn’t actually a guaranteed starter under Hansi Flick, starting just 22 of his 40 games to date.
A permanent exit, be it to Barca or elsewhere, would seemingly be the best for all parties as far as United are concerned, with the opportunity there to acquire the perfect replacement without breaking the bank, in the form of Hauge.
The Norway star has dazzled since returning to his former employers, now up to 62 goals and 55 assists in 218 games for the club across his two spells.
In this season’s Champions League, Hauge proved particularly key in his side’s surprise run to the last-16, scoring six goals in just 12 games, three of which came against Premier League opposition in Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
Operating off that left flank, he is so deadly in the final third, be it when cutting in onto his favoured right foot, or beating his man with a piece of individual brilliance.
In the Champions League, for instance, he averaged 2.4 successful dribbles and 2.3 key passes per game as a marker of that quality, while Rashford has averaged just 0.9 and 1.3 in those same two metrics, respectively.
Even if Carrick is to stay put in the dugout, United should avoid the easy option of merely bringing Rashford back into the squad, with INEOS needing to look to the future with an exciting, relatively low-cost signing like that of Hauge.
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