Rod Thornley explains how Rashford “half-tossed off” his United career | OneFootball

Marcus Rashford has been in scintillating form since leaving Manchester United on a season-long loan last summer to join Barcelona. The Englishman was an indispensable part of the Red Devils’ starting XI 18 months ago, but things changed abruptly following the arrival of former head coach Ruben Amorim in November 2024.

After falling out of favour under the Portuguese, Rashford left temporarily in January last year to join Aston Villa for the remainder of the season. Despite a decent spell at the Birmingham-based club, United decided to move the 28 year old on last summer, with the player joining the Catalans on loan.

Since then, Rashford has registered 10 goals and 13 assists from 34 games in all competitions for the LaLiga champions, and is a key figure under Hansi Flick.

Marcus Rashford Stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

The Englishman’s resurgence does raise questions about where it all went wrong for him at Old Trafford, where he was once considered the club’s next academy gem.

Rashford’s Old Trafford tenure

Rashford rose through the ranks at the Theatre of Dreams, and his excellent form with the youth sides saw him break into the starting XI under former manager Louis van Gaal. The Englishman soon cemented his place in the first team and showed great promise.

He registered the best season of his career under former manager Erik ten Hag, scoring 30 goals and setting up 12 more in 56 appearances in the 2022/23 season. That prompted United to tie him down to a blockbuster new deal in the summer of 2023.

Unfortunately, Rashford endured a prolonged dip in form following his renewal, and Ten Hag’s departure eventually saw his Old Trafford stint come to a temporary end. Barcelona have a £26 million purchase option in the Englishman’s contract, although they are reportedly proposing a swap deal as well.

A recent report relayed by The Peoples Person states that caretaker manager Michael Carrick, who took charge last month as Amorim’s replacement until the end of the season, wants Rashford back at United. However, as things stand, the Englishman’s time at Old Trafford could come to a permanent end this summer, and a former staff member has provided an insight into the situation.

Rashford was not happy at United

Former United first-team masseur Rod Thornley spent 19 years at Old Trafford from 2000 and had the opportunity to watch Rashford’s rise from close quarters. Speaking on The Busby Way podcast, as cited by the Mirror, Thornley said: “I’ll say it I don’t mind, I know Marcus and if he’s not happy with what I say, I don’t care. He became unhappy. He became a different person. I watched this player that used to be a happy, lovely kid just moping around, especially in the club.”

“Outside the club I used to see him every now and then and he was fine outside the club, but in the club he had this demeanour about him that just wasn’t great. Then it transferred onto the pitch and then you see him walking around and you just wanted energy levels out of him, which is what Michael Carrick is doing now.”

“He’s getting energy levels out of the players and you wanted that out of Marcus, but you just weren’t getting it and it was tossed off basically. For me he’s half tossed off his Manchester United career rather that it has been taken away from him.”

Final Thoughts

Rashford has turned into a distraction for United of late, and it is in the best interests of all parties that he moves on permanently this summer. While the Red Devils are looking for a new left-forward this year, it is unlikely that they will consider the Englishman’s return.

Featured image Mike Hewitt via Getty Images

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The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social