Marcus Rashford: Ready to Shape Manchester United's Season

Harry Maguire believes Marcus Rashford is ready to shape Manchester United’s season again – and this time, for the long haul.

Rashford made his first Premier League start for the club in 21 months in the chaotic 5-2 win over Ipswich at Old Trafford, and looked like the old menace on the left, one of United’s most dangerous outlets in a wild afternoon.

Not long ago, the idea of him having any future at United felt remote. His relationship with former manager Ruben Amorim broke down, he was sent on loan to Aston Villa and then to Barcelona, and his time at Camp Nou might have become permanent had the Catalan club triggered a £26m option to buy.

They didn’t. The transfer window closes on Tuesday night, and all roads now point to Rashford staying at his boyhood club.

“He’s a great talent,” said Maguire. “He’s always a threat.

“If Marcus wants to be here, wants to work, wants to improve and help the team, of course we’re willing to have him in the team.

“He could still do a lot more and I think he’ll say he can do more but if we keep him fit, we keep him happy, he keeps driven and hungry, he’s a great asset to have.”

Rashford returns to a club where his name has been dragged through almost every debate. The criticism has followed him for years, stretching back to Erik ten Hag’s time in charge. His work-rate has been pulled apart, his commitment doubted, even his love for the game questioned.

Time away changed a few things. Working under Unai Emery at Villa and Hansi Flick at Barcelona appears to have sharpened his game and his focus. Now he comes back under Michael Carrick, a head coach who knows him well from their shared years at Old Trafford and is seen inside the club as someone who can reach him.

“You’ve got to remember Marcus has had a wonderful career for this club,” Maguire said.

“But when you play at this club for numerous years, there’s going to be bad seasons, and when the bad seasons come everyone piles on you. That’s part and parcel of playing for this club.

“As a club, we haven’t been perfect from top to bottom. We haven’t been challenging at the top end. So, Marcus has been part of a rough ride for Manchester United.

“When that happens, players get dug out. I’ve been through it.”

Maguire knows the cycle well. He lost his place, then the captaincy, under Ten Hag and at one stage looked certain to leave himself. Instead, he stayed, fought his way back, and now speaks as someone who has survived the storm Rashford is trying to come through.

“He’s come back in, really fit and sharp and we’re excited to have him,” Maguire added.

Carrick has already described Rashford as feeling like a new signing, a ready-made weapon dropping back into his squad at a time when United are trying to reset their identity. The manager has previous here. He revived Kobbie Mainoo after the midfielder was repeatedly overlooked by Amorim, turning him into a central figure before another setback arrived this summer when England boss Thomas Tuchel left him unused at the World Cup.

Mainoo, too, started his first game of the season in the win over Ipswich. United fell behind, the atmosphere tightened, and then the young midfielder grew into the contest, snapping into duels and knitting attacks together as the goals started to flow.

“I thought he was brilliant,” said Maguire.

“To say he hasn’t had many minutes in pre-season, he was magnificent.

“His work without the ball has improved so much since Michael’s been in. He’s becoming a real monster in there, wins a lot of second balls and a lot of duels.

“The thing is he’s so young. If we want him to play for this club for another 10 years, there’s going to be times where he’s going to go through a patch like I spoke about with Rashy and myself.

“But that’s part and parcel. He’s really level-headed, really composed and has great belief in his ability.

“He’s going to be a magnificent player for this club for many years.”

United, then, stand at a familiar crossroads: a homegrown star trying to reclaim his status, and a rising midfielder learning what it means to live under the Old Trafford microscope. If Carrick can keep Rashford fit and Mainoo grounded, the rough ride Maguire talks about might yet turn into something far more compelling.