Marcus Rashford left Manchester United last summer and joined Barcelona on loan (Image: Getty)
Former Premier League legend Alan Shearer has explained why it would be no surprise if Marcus Rashford decided to leave Manchester United and join Barcelona permanently. Rashford announced his desire to leave United last summer and is currently on loan at Camp Nou.
Barcelona have the option to sign Rashford permanently for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of £26 million, but there is currently no sign that the La Liga giants are about to open talks with United over the England international.
Rashford has flourished for Barcelona this season, scoring 12 goals and providing 13 assists for Spain, helping his new team to the top of La Liga, with an eight-point advantage over Real Madrid at the end of the game.
According to reports this week, manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reluctant to bring Rashford back to United next season, with the club widely expected to go ahead without the forward in their squad, the Manchester Evening News reported.
Speculation has increased considerably in recent months as to whether Rashford will complete a permanent move from Old Trafford to Barcelona. Shearer has explained why he is not surprised by the lack of news regarding Rashford’s future and believes the England international is likely to leave United for a permanent move to Barça this summer.
The former Newcastle frontman also stressed the importance of United securing a long-term manager before drawing any conclusions about Rashford’s future.
“I think the ship has sailed for Marcus Rashford to return to Manchester United,” Shearer told Betfair.
Express sports on FB! Get all the best sports news and more on our Facebook page
“We know he had problems in the previous system and United first need to decide who they want to appoint as manager before they can start any effort to bring Rashford back into the team if possible.
“I think Barcelona are trying to play, they want to sign him and I think they are trying to get a low transfer fee with what they are doing, what they are saying and the noise that is coming out. It’s not surprising, it’s just how the negotiations are going.”
Marcus Rashford scores 12 goals during loan spell at Barcelona (Image: Getty)
“I would be surprised if Marcus is not at Barcelona next season.
“At times he showed that ability, but often it wasn’t seen consistently. He had one or two disciplinary issues with previous managers, whether it was Erik ten Hag or whoever.”
“Marcus has great ability and we saw that at Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and he had a really good season. He was a really good player for the team and when he was called on he got the job done.”
“The talent is there, but with Marcus it’s important that he does it regularly. He’s likely to be included in the England squad and there’s talk of him starting on the left wing opposite Anthony Gordon at the World Cup.”
