Marcus Rashford debuted for Man United in 2016 under Louis van Gaal. In the past 8 seasons, there were 3 seasons when the English striker scored at least 20 goals for the "Red Devils". However, in the last 3 seasons, Rashy has only done that once.
Among the many declines in performance in recent years, injuries are the biggest reason why the 27-year-old star has not been able to maintain a regular flow of inspiration. Persistent back and shoulder injuries in recent years have been a huge barrier. From losing his position in the England team, Rashford also lost his starting position at the club.
Not only affected by professional factors, the fact that his personal life is scrutinized too much by the media also makes Rashford tired. Most recently, his night out in Belfast and then losing his place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last season was a big scandal. At that time, M.U's captain Erik ten Hag decided to remove his student's name from the registration list. A notice from Man United said that the English striker must take responsibility for his actions.
This season, things have improved for Marcus Rashford when he has 7 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions. However, that is not enough. Ruben Amorim needs every player who wants to start to adapt to the 3-4-3 formation, this is something Rashford has tried hard but could not do.
How much or when Rashford leaves depends largely on the terms of his contract with Man United. The 27-year-old signed a five-year extension in the summer of 2023, after his best season in eight years at Man United. At that time, Rashford had only 1 year left on his contract and his brilliant form after the 2022 World Cup helped him stay at Old Trafford.
After the extension in the summer of 2023, Rashford's current contract is valid until 2028. This contract does not have a one-year extension clause, so the termination will be a little less difficult. However, the biggest obstacle is still salary. When signing for an extension in the summer of 2023, Rashford received £325,000/week, equivalent to Raphael Varane and Casemiro at the time.
Currently, any team that wants to have Rashford will have to pay the breach fee. If that happens in the summer of 2025, the remaining contract years are 3, which will be a huge barrier in terms of fees, even though there is information that Man United is "hugely devaluing" Rashford when only receiving 40 million pounds is enough.
If Rashford's price is too high and Man United still want to push him away, the Manchester team can consider paying part of the English star's salary to the new club.
Most recently, Man United handled the Jadon Sancho case in such a way. The English striker was loaned to Dortmund in the second phase of last season. The hospital pays most of the salary (about 200,000 pounds/week). Man United will pay the rest, plus performance-related bonuses.
Sancho is currently on loan to Chelsea. The Blues also pay the 24-year-old star most of his salary. Chelsea has a better advantage for Sancho and Man United than Dortmund in that if he plays well, Chelsea has the right to buy them all. Maybe at this point, Man United is also looking for a similar solution for Rashford.
Finally, selling Rashford will help Man United avoid problems with the Premier League's Financial Sustainability Principles (PSR). Rashford is a "homegrown" player, trained and nurtured by the team since he was a young talent, so if he is sold, Man United will be considered to have made a net profit.
If this deal is successful, the Old Trafford team will have a rare time to make a large net profit in a deal since Sir Jim Ratcliffe took over. Previously, the case of Scott McTominay was similar.
