Marcus Rashford theory emerges as Man Utd update leaves fans saying the same thing

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Manchester United fans think the club have given a major clue indicating Marcus Rashford will stay put this summer. A year and a half since his last appearance for the Red Devils, the club are still no closer to settling the question of Rashford's future.

They believed the saga had at last reached its conclusion when they agreed a £26million option-to-buy clause with Barcelona ahead of his loan stint in Catalonia last summer, a move the forward had been pushing for since he announced he wanted a new challenge .

However, despite the 28-year-old's eagerness to remain at Barca beyond the 2025/26 campaign, the La Liga winners opted not to trigger the clause and spent £70m on Anthony Gordon instead. The deadline to sign Rashford permanently passed last month, leaving both him and United disappointed, as they are unwilling to approve a third loan deal.

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Rashford's time with his boyhood club may not actually be coming to an end, however, with reports suggesting he will join up with the United squad after the World Cup and potentially be in contention for pre-season selection under Michael Carrick.

The club have now added further weight to those rumours by including Rashford, who had been frozen out following his falling out with former head coach Ruben Amorim, in a list of eight Red Devils players who progressed to the World Cup's round of 16.

Rashford appeared last on the list, shared on X by the official club social media account. He came after the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes , Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui, Senne Lammens and Kobbie Mainoo , prior to Brazil and Portugal ’s elimination.

Swathes of United supporters interpreted his inclusion as a sign he is expected to stay on and be brought back into the squad by Carrick this summer. One X user commented: "Soft launch if I've ever seen one," while another wrote: "Think we should warm ourselves up to the fact he's coming back."

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A third pointed out: "Lol he's playing for us next season isn't he," as another added: "This soft launch campaign is coming along nicely." A fifth noted: "They're very subtly teasing his return and I think that's become very obvious."

Despite this, Rashford, who is currently representing England at the World Cup, said ahead of the victory over Mexico that his preference had been to leave. He told reporters last Saturday: "I was very clear with everyone involved before the World Cup, I wanted it (a move) done before. If it's not, I wanted it to wait until after. I want to be fully present in the moment. We're fighting for something special."

Rashford's last appearance for United came back in December 2024 against Viktoria Plzen. Later that month, he was dropped ahead of a Manchester Derby by Amorim, with the Portuguese boss later insisting it was due to his lacklustre attitude in training.

The winger was subsequently left out of the majority of matchday squads until his loan move to Aston Villa was confirmed in January 2025. A mixed spell at Villa Park followed, before Rashford was included in United's 'bomb squad' at Carrington — essentially a group of unwanted players — ahead of sealing his dream temporary transfer to Barcelona.