Michael Carrick should not waste time trying to convince Marcus Rashford to stay at Manchester United this summer, according to Alan Shearer. The Newcastle United legend turned pundit believes the forward does not want to play for his boyhood club again.
Despite graduating from United's youth academy in 2015 and spending nearly a decade at Old Trafford, the 28-year-old's relationship with the club deteriorated under Ruben Amorim. After falling out of favour, Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan for the latter part of the 2024/25 season. With Amorim still in charge for 2025/26, Rashford moved to Barcelona for the entire season. While he thrived under Hansi Flick, Barcelona opted not to trigger their £26 million purchase option, instead signing Anthony Gordon for £69 million.
As a result, Rashford will return to United after his World Cup duties with England. Although Carrick is now manager, Shearer doubts Rashford wants to return to Manchester. He told the Mirror: 'I don't think it will be difficult for Rashford to focus on his game at the World Cup because ultimately he has a contract at Man Utd, albeit they don't want him and he doesn't want to be there... If I were Michael Carrick, I probably wouldn't try and convince him to stay at Man Utd because I think too much may have gone on before.'
Rashford impressed as a substitute in England's 4-2 win over Croatia in their World Cup opener. He has been linked with Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Bayern Munich, and Galatasaray. His contract includes a £40 million release clause that can be activated by any club except Manchester City or Liverpool. However, teams may wait to negotiate a lower fee.
