TAFC: What now for Rashford and Man United? Plus: Another European Super League idea…
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Hello. The cat is out of the bag. Marcus Rashford is ready to leave Manchester United.
Coming up:
Rashford’s future
(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Rashford: ‘I’m ready for a new challenge’
When was the last time Marcus Rashford looked like football was making him happy? That’s not a dig, but really: how long is it since he gave the impression of a player whose endorphins were flowing?
To go by comments attributed to him yesterday, that thought is bouncing around his head too. An interview with Rashford was published on X by journalist Henry Winter and while he had plenty to say, this was the key quote: “I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.”
Unless we’re misinterpreting him, this was Rashford admitting he and Manchester United — the club where he turned professional and made his debut in 2016 — are done. He’s looking at the exit door and, after almost a decade as a first-teamer at United, is inclined to see what’s on the other side. His comments are the starting gun for a transfer out of Old Trafford.
Which, frankly, comes as no surprise. Rashford’s interview follows hot on the heels of Sunday’s Manchester derby, in which he played no part. Ruben Amorim left out Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from his squad.
At 20, Garnacho can reset and regroup (he won the Puskas Award yesterday for his overhead kick at Everton last season, which should perk him up) but Rashford has been in a cycle of stagnation for over a year. This is him facing facts.
(Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
How did we get here?
Rashford was once United’s golden boy, but those days of freshness are far behind him. He’s 27. There’s been a palpable loss of faith in him among the club’s fanbase. His demeanour is that of a player who has hit the wall.
On Sunday, Amorim tried to insist that neither Rashford nor Garnacho (above, right) had been dropped for disciplinary reasons, but this comment from United’s head coach was notable: “Everything is on the line when we analyse and try to choose the players. I pay attention to the way you eat, the way you put your clothes (on) to go to a game.”
Whatever he meant by that, Amorim is world-wise enough to realise that people would read between the lines of his remarks. They read like a finger pointing at attitude or application. Fair cop, his decisions paid off: United came up with a mega victory over Manchester City, sealed by a different forward, Amad. But I can’t have been alone in thinking Rashford’s absence begged questions about his future.
There’s a problem, though: last year, after much speculation about him seeking a fresh start, Rashford signed a new five-year contract to 2028. He’s an extremely high-earner and United would want a transfer fee. His recent form won’t have created much of a market, so even if he wants out, what are his options?
(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Amorim’s next move?
And beyond that, where does Amorim stand? The Portuguese head coach was asked about Rashford’s interview at a press conference this morning (United face Tottenham Hotspur in their Carabao Cup quarter-final tomorrow). He said he would prefer Rashford to stick around. “This kind of club needs big talent, and he’s a big talent,” Amorim said. “He just needs to perform at the highest level.” Which, more recently, has been a struggle.
In a matter of days, the January transfer window opens and while the odds on Rashford finding a move here and now are long, it feels likely that by the start of next season, he and United will have gone their separate ways. He said he would leave “with no hard feelings” but there’s no denying that familiarity has bred some contempt.
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News round-up
Look who’s back
(Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
New Super League plans, same old story
Pitchforks at the ready: the altruistic, salt-of-the-earth mob behind the flawed European Super League concept are back. Having abandoned two proposals to rival or replace UEFA’s Champions League, A22 Sports is going for gold with a third.
At face value, its latest wheeze is destined for the bin too. A22 — the Madrid-based firm that dreamt up the much-criticised Super League venture in 2021 — spent the past year formulating the following idea: a tournament of 96 European teams who qualify via their domestic divisions and are then split into four leagues. Which in turn split into separate groups.
Confused? I hear you but in reality, there’s nothing novel or imaginative here. As for the names — the ‘Unify League’, breaking down into the Star, Gold, Blue and Union divisions — kudos to eScored reader who said they sound like a Mario Kart cup. It carries the same credibility too.
That said, a European court ruling last December might compel governing body UEFA to give the Unify League plan due consideration. It’s not to say the proposal has legs but you should watch this space because alternative Champions League ideas aren’t going away. And nor is A22, more’s the pity.
Explaining Mudryk’s situation
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
What might happen next?
Yesterday’s top story in TAFC — Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk testing positive for a banned substance — will lie dormant now while he and the authorities follow due process.
To reiterate, Mudryk denies knowingly taking meldonium. Chelsea say he has their unequivocal support. To cover all bases, Phil Buckingham has pieced together an explainer on what comes next, how these investigations work and the punishment the 23-year-old might face.
Phil’s piece highlighted something I’d completely forgotten: that some years ago, Chelsea sacked goalkeeper Mark Bosnich and striker Adrian Mutu after they returned positive drugs tests. Their cases were different — Bosnich and Mutu were found to have cocaine in their systems — and Chelsea are ready to fight Mudryk’s corner, but past history shows how far-reaching the consequences can be.
Around eScored FC
Catch a match
(ET/UK time)
Carabao Cup: Arsenal vs Crystal Palace, 2.30pm/7.30pm — Paramount+/Sky Sports; Newcastle United vs Brentford, 2.45pm/7.45pm — CBS, Paramount+, Fubo/Sky Sports; Southampton vs Liverpool, 3pm/8pm — Paramount+/Sky Sports.
Women’s Champions League (both DAZN): Barcelona vs Manchester City, 12.45pm/5.45pm; Bayern Munich vs Arsenal, 3pm/8pm.
Intercontinental Cup: Real Madrid vs Pachuca, 12pm/5pm — beIN Sports, Fubo/DAZN, FIFA+.
Ligue 1: Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain, 3pm/8pm — beIN Sports, Fubo/Ligue 1 Pass.
And finally…
(Lars Baron/Getty Images)
In the annals of ‘more money than sense’, Salt Bae and the merry men who spend their hard-earned cash on his ludicrously priced steak are guaranteed a place.
I almost resent giving him air time (put me down as not a fan) but Nick Miller has written a top feature about the man who gatecrashed the final of the 2022 World Cup and, to coin a tailor-made phrase, gets where water can’t.
He says he regrets his World Cup antics. He says that from now on, it’s a lower-profile road for him. Sounds good, but I’d be taking that promise with a pinch of his expensive salt.
(Top photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
