Marcus Rashford: Rio Ferdinand performs U-turn on United ace | OneFootball

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has changed his stance on Marcus Rashford’s future. The English forward is expected to leave the Red Devils permanently this summer, but his future remains unresolved at the moment.

In an ideal world, Rashford should have been vying for Wayne Rooney’s goalscoring record for the English giants by now, but the reality is entirely different. The former Carrington graduate has scored 138 goals and registered 79 assists in 426 games for United to date and was once tipped to become an Old Trafford legend.

Marcus Rashford Club Career Stats

Source: Transfermarkt.

Unfortunately, Rashford last featured for the Premier League giants in December 2024, under former head coach Ruben Amorim, who deemed him surplus to requirements. The 28 year old spent six months on loan at Aston Villa, before moving to Barcelona on another temporary deal last summer.

Rashford was a revelation at Camp Nou, registering 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions to help the Catalans win the league and the Supercopa de Espana. However, that was not enough to convince the Spanish champions to trigger the €30 million purchase option in his contract.

Rashford’s future remains unclear

Barcelona have since opted to secure the services of Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon, igniting talk of Rashford’s possible reintegration into United’s squad. Recent reports, though, suggest that INEOS have decided to cut ties with the Englishman this summer.

Rashford has been included in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup and was on the bench for the game against Croatia on Wednesday, 17 June. The United star replaced Gordon in the 72nd minute and scored in the 85th minute to help secure a 4-2 victory.

Ferdinand had previously acknowledged that the Red Devils are better advised to part ways with Rashford this summer. However, the former England defender has now altered his stance on the situation.

Ferdinand advocates Rashford’s United stay

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents after Rashford’s goalscoring start to the World Cup, Ferdinand insisted that his former club must reassess their stance on the player’s future. He said: “Manchester United might have to reevaluate Marcus Rashford’s situation.”

“It seems like he has matured; the time away from the club may have done him the good that he needed, and it has cleansed both parties. Is it time to shake hands and come back?”

Former United defender Wes Brown echoed those sentiments in a recent interview with The Peoples Person, where he said both parties need to apologise and sort out the matter.

Barcelona spell has helped Rashford improve

Ferdinand, meanwhile, went on to claim that the loan spell with Barcelona has helped Rashford mature, adding: “I think with Marcus Rashford, you can see the maturity, and you can see that Barcelona phase of his career has worked out in a way that he now understands his role.”

“He was given a role at Barcelona, told he would be an impact player at times, to come on and change games. At England, that is his role, and that’s a huge asset to the squad in this competition.”

“When you are an opposing full-back, and you see Marcus Rashford warming up at 75 minutes, you are looking over to the bench and saying, ‘Please get my number ready and take me off, I’m subbing myself out because I don’t want that smoke’. You don’t want that smoke at the start of the game, let alone in the 75th minute.”

Final Thoughts

The Rashford saga is fast becoming an elephant in the room for United and Michael Carrick. INEOS will have to deal with the matter tactfully to ensure it does not dictate how their summer progresses.

Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images

online polls

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