Harry Maguire believes Marcus Rashford can be an asset to the Manchester United squad this season, as long as the forward wants to be at the club and wants to keep improving.
Rashford made his first start for United since December 2024 in the 5-2 win against Ipswich Town on Sunday. The 28-year-old had spent the previous 18 months away from the club and had spoken of his desire for a new challenge, but Barcelona turned down the chance to sign him for £26million this summer, and Rashford rejected a move to Turkey or Saudi Arabia.
Instead, relations between the player and the club have thawed, and Maguire praised the impact Rashford has made since returning to United for pre-season training three weeks ago.
Maguire on Rashford's return
"It's been really good since he came in," Maguire said. "He's trained really well and us as players, if Marcus wants to be here and wants to work and wants to improve and wants to help the team, of course, we're willing to have him in the squad.
"He's a great talent. You've seen that he's always a threat. I think he was a threat constantly [against Ipswich], and I think he could still do a lot more and I think he'll say that he can do more. I think if we keep him fit, we keep him happy, he keeps driven, keeps hungry, and I think he is a great asset to have."
Rashford is now up to 428 appearances for his boyhood club, but his time at Old Trafford looked over when Ruben Amorim placed him in the 'bomb squad' last summer and gave his No.10 shirt to Matheus Cunha. That came after Amorim banished Rashford from the first-team squad in December 2024, but Amorim's departure and the appointment of Michael Carrick have soothed relations.
A rough ride at United
Maguire knows better than most that players who have had long careers at United in recent years have tended to suffer their share of disappointments, and Rashford is in that group.
"I think also, you've got to remember that Marcus has had a wonderful career for this club as well," he said. "When you play at this club for numerous years, there's going to be bad seasons, and when the bad seasons come everyone piles on you, and that's part and parcel again for playing this club.
"Marcus was here for I don't know how many years, and every season wasn't going to be perfect because as a team and as a club, we haven't been perfect from top to bottom and we haven't been challenging at the top end when you're winning Premier Leagues year after year after year, it's easy as a player to mingle into that group and play well.
"Marcus has been part of a rough ride for Manchester United, and when that happens and the team doesn't deliver, players get digged out and he was one of them at that stage. I've been through it. Everyone's been through it at this club."
"He's come back, he's come back in, he's trained over the summer you can tell and he's come back really fit, sharp and we're excited to have him, and hopefully he can chip in with goals."
