Marcus Rashford made his first start for Manchester United since December 2024 and impressed as Michael Carrick's side beat Ipswich 5-2 at Old Trafford. Carrick praised the forward's return to the starting XI, describing him as "fantastic" on and off the pitch since returning to the club three weeks ago.
Rashford's United career had looked over when he was cut adrift by Ruben Amorim in December 2024. He spent the last 18 months on loan at Aston Villa and Barcelona. The La Liga side had the option to make the move permanent for £26 million this summer, but decided against doing so, and Rashford is now back at his boyhood club.
Carrick: He's one of our own
He looks certain to stay beyond the end of the transfer window, and Carrick believes the 28-year-old feels like a new signing this summer, given how long he has been away from the club. After coming off the bench at Hull last weekend, Rashford started the 5-2 win against Ipswich and delivered an impressive display from the left.
"He's adding to the group for us, for sure," said Carrick. "I've known him for a while, and then he wasn't here when I've come back, and now he is. I think he's making the most of that for us and for him as well, to have the opportunity to be here. He's one of our own. He's living his dream, playing here now and trying to be successful and win."
Return eased by familiar faces
"Whatever's gone on, I think part of this club, there's players that have come back sometimes, or players that maybe were going to leave, didn't leave. It's always about what you do next, and what your intentions are. He's been fantastic since he came back, I have to say, and it was great to see him on the pitch today for us," Carrick added.
The presence of Carrick, a former teammate of Rashford and someone who coached him when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge, has helped to ease the 28-year-old back into the fold, and he looked bright against the Tractor Boys.
Impressive display from the left
"I thought he dealt with the whole day as normal, really," said Carrick. "I'm sure it was nice for him to be back and starting games here and enjoying being involved in a good performance. I thought he did particularly well in not easy circumstances, particularly as the game was going through the cycle. And then second half, it all clicked. I thought he did all-around very good, and he'll only get better. I was really pleased with him."
