(Football news) After a difficult season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, the unsatisfied England player was expected to quit Old Trafford in the summer of 2022, but Erik ten Hag pleaded with him to stay.
Rashford revived his Man United career last season, scoring 30 goals in all competitions (17 of which came in the Premier League), helping the Red Devils win the EFL Cup and return to the Champions League, which validated the Dutchman’s decision.
Although eight goals and five assists in 39 games is not a terrible total, the 26-year-old’s stats have declined in 2023–24 and he has fallen short of expectations following his outstanding 2022–23 season.
Rashford also made headlines for an off-field misdemeanour last year, visiting a Dublin nightclub and subsequently reporting ill for training, and any demotions from the first XI are always met with intense questioning.
The events of the last few months have led to speculation surrounding Rashford’s future heating up again, and it had been suggested that Paris Saint-Germain are finally set to step up their long-standing interest.
The Ligue 1 champions will lose Kylian Mbappe in the summer ahead of his anticipated Real Madrid switch, but they would have to pay a premium if they want Rashford to step into the Frenchman’s boots.
Manchester United would want a club-record £100m to let Rashford leave, having tied the 26-year-old down to a new contract until the summer of 2028 at the end of last season.
Such a fee would trump the £80m that Man United made through the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in 2009, and financial powerhouses PSG would have no problem coughing up a nine-figure proposal.
PSG side have no intention of making a move for Rashford in the summer transfer window, and the Parisiens have never held an interest in signing the England international.
Instead, PSG supposedly believe that any talk of a swoop last summer was simply used as a bargaining chip in Rashford’s contract talks with Man United, who are paying him approximately £325,000 a week.
The striker’s issues off the pitch and on-field struggles – including his perceived lack of work rate – have convinced PSG that he is not the right Mbappe replacement for them, and Rashford is instead set to remain at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future.
Since coming through Man United’s academy with flying colours, the 26-year-old has banked 131 goals and 64 assists in 398 games for the Red Devils, and he played the full 90 in the weekend’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth
Bruno Fernandes’ brace saved a point for the Red Devils, who have now lost their last four Premier League games, but Rashford was unable to break the four-goal deadlock.
Ten Hag’s team, now ranked seventh in the Premier League standings, will now focus on winning trophies when they take on Coventry City in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
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