MARC YOUR CARD

MICHAEL CARRICK has refused to rule out a return to Manchester United for Marcus Rashford.

Rashford is on a season-long loan at Barcelona, who have an option to buy him for £26million.

However, there are doubts that Barcelona will sign Rashford permanently and he is under contract at United until 2028.

Rashford, 28, is also set for a return to his weekly wage of £325,000-a-week if United qualify for the Champions League.

United players’ wages were slashed by 25 per cent after they failed to finish in the top four in the 2023-24 season and they have not returned to the Champions League since.

United head coach Carrick lined up alongside Rashford on his debut in February 2016 and coached him under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as well as during his three-game caretaker manager stint in 2021.

Despite a working relationship of nearly six years, Carrick was non-committal on Rashford’s future when asked if the door was open for him to play for United again.

Carrick said: “I just think there’s decisions to be made in time on certain things and obviously Marcus is in that situation.

“But at this point in time, nothing’s been decided. And it will be, because it has to be at a certain point.

“But at this stage, there’s nothing to say.”

Rashford has not played for United since he was substituted in the 2-1 Europa League win at Viktoria Plzen in December 2024.

Then-coach Ruben Amorim dropped Rashford from the following fixture at Manchester City and Rashford then outlined his desire for a move elsewhere.The England winger joined Aston Villa on loan in the winter transfer window last year but the Europa League semi-finalists decided against triggering their £30million option to buy him.

United revoked Rashford’s ‘10’ squad number and handed it to Matheus Cunha last summer as Rashford was placed in the ‘bomb squad’ and told to report at a different time for pre-season training.Barcelona moved for Rashford after Nico Williams signed a new contract with Athletic Bilbao and Luis Diaz joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool.

United are in the market for a left winger but Rashford’s situation is further complicated by Carrick’s position and whether United will keep him on as permanent head coach beyond this season.“Certainly from my perspective, whoever’s here, I want to work with, make the best out of, and help them improve,” Carrick added.

“So, at the moment, it’s this squad of players. And there are obviously players on loan, and whatever happens with that later on will happen with that later on. But certainly, as a coach, and as a leader of a squad, we want to get the best out of everyone as much as we possibly can.

“I’m not going on the Marcus individual one, because I think I’ve already touched on it.

“I think to comment either way at this stage is just not the right thing to do because there are uncertainties, for sure.

“But for me, as I said, individual players who I’m able to work with in this part of the squad then. I enjoy doing that.

“And trying to get the best out of them.”

Barca went out of the Champions League to Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals on Tuesday but are nine points clear at the summit of La Liga with seven games remaining.

Rashford has scored 12 goals in 43 appearances —Sun.