Marcus Rashford's long-awaited Manchester United return ended in a 2-0 Premier League defeat to Hull City, but the forward believes the team can use the loss as a building block for the rest of the campaign.
The England international came off the bench at half-time at the MKM Stadium, replacing Patrick Dorgu, but could not prevent goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy from earning the play-off champions victory.
Rashford's return after 618 days
Rashford's appearance came more than 18 months after his last competitive outing for the club, against Viktoria Plzen in December 2024. After his loan stint with Barcelona, the Catalan club decided against triggering the option to sign him permanently, and no other team has paid the fee United require for his services.
Instead, Rashford, who is under contract until 2028, has been awarded the No.9 shirt. Following the defeat, he wrote on Instagram: "After 618 days, I'm back playing with United. I wish the result were better, but it's something we can improve on."
Lisandro Martinez, Bryan Mbeumo, Diogo Dalot and Andre Onana were among the United players who liked the post.
Carrick praises Dorgu and backs Rashford centrally
Manager Michael Carrick had praise for the substituted Dorgu, saying: "Pat's fine, we love him to bits. He's a fantastic player, Pat. He's a great character. He's a big part of what we do, and he will be. So it was just one of those decisions. It's nothing personal. Sometimes you've just got to make them, you know, trying to do something a little bit different."
Before the Hull fixture, Carrick was asked whether Rashford could feature in a central striking role this season, having mainly operated from the left flank in recent campaigns. Carrick said: "Of course he can play through in the middle. He has done. I wouldn't say it's naturally his number-one position, but he can do that, and I think we've got forwards that give us that flexibility right across the frontline, we've used all of them, pretty much, in slightly different roles. So, I think for us to have that option is really good moving through the season."
