Marcus Rashford £60m dilemma encapsulates major Manchester United problem

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

There have been multiple examples of wastefulness in the transfer market and poor leadership at Manchester United in recent years, but the Marcus Rashford situation stands alone.

According to multiple reports this past week, the 27-year-old United forward will be allowed to leave when the transfer window opens in January, and any exit would be hugely discounted.

When Rashford, who has scored 138 goals in all competitions for United since bursting on the scene as a teenager graduating from the club’s academy in 2015, enjoyed a 30-goal season under Erik ten Hag in 2022/23, his market value was around the £100m mark, borne from a newly-signed long-term contract, an age profile where he was in his prime, and form that was among the best in Europe.

For United, with Rashford having come through the youth system at the club, a sale at that price would have represented pure profit for the football club given that he held no residual book value on the club accounts. READ MORE: Amorim reacts to Hojlund and Amad full-time row READ MORE: Amorim admits frustration with some United players and it is easy to guess who Understandably, United weren’t looking to offload him due to him appearing to find his groove again, but that season looked to have been the high watermark, and just 18 months on from the end of that banner season, United face the prospect of having to take a fraction of that £100m, perhaps even seeing 80% wiped off his value, potentially even more depending on the market.