Marcus Rashford has been handed a new shirt number upon his return to Manchester United, which may provide some insight into his future at the club.
It was thought that Rashford had already played his final United game long ago after he was frozen out of his boyhood club by Ruben Amorim in December 2024. Following loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, it was expected that the England forward would join the Spanish giants permanently, but they opted not to trigger his £26million buyout clause.
That has left the 29-year-old in transfer limbo, with few clubs showing interest in him, while United have been reportedly reluctant to give him another shot.
Return to training
Following his exploits at the World Cup, Rashford finally returned to training on Sunday, linking up with the Red Devils for the first time in over 18 months and was pictured in a jubilant mood, taking photos with fans and signing autographs.
Michael Carrick has confirmed that Rashford will be part of the squad for their final two pre-season friendlies, saying: 'We have a full squad next week in Dublin. We fly straight there and meet Leeds on Wednesday. We have a few days in Dublin where we have the whole squad, including Marcus, Kobbie [Mainoo] and Lisandro [Martinez]. I've played with him [Rashford]. I played in the game he made his debut, so we have a history.'
New shirt number
While this alone is by no means confirmation that Rashford will be a United player this season, the club have hinted that will be the case after handing him a new squad number. The forward is unable to reclaim his prized No.10 shirt as it was given to Matheus Cunha upon his arrival from Wolves last summer. Even his old squad numbers, 19 and 39, are occupied by new players, namely Bryan Mbeumo and Tyler Fletcher.
But, according to Fabrizio Romano, Rashford will now don the No.14, the shirt number he wore at Barcelona and one typically given to an important first-team member.
It is said United chose 14 in order to send a message of trust to the player and a sign that he will be reintegrated at Old Trafford, unless a deal can be struck with another club. Teams in Turkey and Saudi Arabia have approached Rashford, but he wants to play for a top European side in order to remain in the England squad.
There have been links with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham but it seems he will be back playing for his boyhood club this season. More to follow…
