Ryan Giggs names the one Man United star Pep Guardiola wanted at City | OneFootball

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Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has hit the ground running since returning to Old Trafford this summer. The English forward spent last season on loan at Barcelona and was a hit at Camp Nou.

Rashford amassed 14 goals and 15 assists during his temporary spell with the Catalans, helping them win the LaLiga title and the Supercopa de Espana. Everyone expected the 28 year old to join the Catalans permanently this summer, especially since he was considered surplus to requirements at the Theatre of Dreams.

Marcus Rashford Stats: 2025/26 Season

Rashford had a famous fallout with former head coach Ruben Amorim following the Portuguese’s arrival at Old Trafford in November 2024. The English forward initially left in January to join Aston Villa on loan before completing a temporary move to Barcelona six months later.

Unfortunately, his exploits at Camp Nou were not enough to convince the Spanish champions to trigger the buy option in his deal. The Catalans preferred to sign Anthony Gordon instead from Newcastle United and Rashford ended up staying with his boyhood club. However, that could work to the benefit of both the player and United.

Rashford looking dangerous again

Rashford’s reintegration into the first-team squad was a much-discussed topic and the player was linked with an exit right until the end of the summer. With his old No. 10 shirt now in possession of Matheus Cunha, the Englishman was handed the fabled No. 9 shirt, which he gleefully accepted.

While the former academy graduate did feature for the club in pre-season, he only made the bench for the opening Premier League game against Hull City at the MKM Stadium. With United trailing 2-0 in the first half, Michael Carrick brought on Rashford at the break for his first appearance at Old Trafford since December 2024.

The player could not salvage the game, but he did enough to warrant a place in the starting XI against Ipswich Town a week later. The Englishman was lively as the Red Devils secured a 5-2 win at Old Trafford.

Rashford retained his place against Everton in the 2-2 draw last weekend and was among the better players on the pitch, rekindling his old partnership with Luke Shaw. The Englishman forward’s form will certainly help him regain his lost status at the club, with the player once tipped to achieve great things at The Theatre of Dreams.

United legend Ryan Giggs has now shared an anecdote about the player that further highlights his explosive start to life at the Theatre of Dreams.

Guardiola wanted Rashford at the Etihad

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Giggs recalled an old conversation with Pep Guardiola where the former Manchester City manager expressed his admiration for Rashford. Giggs said: “There’s about eight of us, so he [Ferguson] sat me next to Pep, this was about, I’m going to say about eight or nine years ago.”

“I’ve gone to Pep and said, ‘you know, who do you like at Manchester United?’, and he went, ‘well, who do you think?’ So I went, David De Gea? He went, no. Luke Shaw? I was just like, no. He said the best player at Man United, Marcus Rashford. He said he would take him tomorrow.”

“And that just made me [think], what’s Pep seeing in Rashford? And that was obviously when Marcus was playing as a centre forward.”

Rashford registered an explosive first-team bow under former manager Louis van Gaal and hit a higher gear during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign. He famously registered 30 goals and 12 assists in the 2022/23 season under Erik ten Hag, which remains the most productive campaign of his playing career so far.

Final Thoughts

Rashford already looks like the best option for United in the left-forward position and the Barcelona spell has certainly improved his game. Ironically, he could end up displacing the very man who took his old No. 10 shirt from the starting XI.