Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has praised Marcus Rashford’s attitude and physical condition after the England forward returned to the club following his loan spell at Barcelona, but his long-term future at Old Trafford remains uncertain.
Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, helping the Catalan club win the title, after previously falling out of favour under former United manager Ruben Amorim. The academy graduate had also spent time on loan at Aston Villa before moving to Spain.
With the new Premier League season approaching, Rashford remains one of the biggest talking points around United. However, Carrick has been impressed by what he has seen since the forward returned to training.
“It’s been pretty obvious since Marcus came back training with Kobbie (Mainoo) and Licha (Lisandro Martinez) pretty much in Dublin that he’s come back fantastically well,” Carrick told reporters on Thursday ahead of United’s trip to Hull City.
“He’s enjoying his football, he looks fit, he looks sharp, he looks strong, he looks ready to play football. So I’ve been delighted with him since he’s come back.”
RASHFORD READY TO PLAY
Rashford returned to the United squad during the club’s recent training camp in the Republic of Ireland before making his first pre-season appearance against AC Milan in Wroclaw last Saturday. He came on as a second-half substitute in the final pre-season fixture.
Carrick also suggested Rashford could have a role through the middle if required, although he stopped short of identifying it as the forward’s best position.
“Of course he can play through the middle. He has done. I wouldn’t say it’s his number one position, but he can do that,” Carrick said.
“And I think we’ve got forwards that give us that flexibility right across the front line. We’ve used all of them pretty much in slightly different roles.”
Rashford’s return comes at a time when speculation over his future continues. The forward recently said he wanted to focus on playing football without his “name being mentioned every day”, reflecting the intense scrutiny surrounding his situation.
United, meanwhile, continue to work on strengthening their squad before the September 1 transfer deadline. The club have added Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans and Brazil international Andrey Santos, while Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford.
For now, Carrick’s assessment provides a positive picture of Rashford’s return, even if it does not settle the question of whether he will remain at United beyond the transfer window.
Rashford could get another opportunity to make his case when United begin their Premier League campaign against promoted Hull City on Saturday. He memorably scored a late winner at Hull during United’s last Premier League visit in the 2016-17 season.
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