Marcus Rashford's Return: Key to Manchester United's Season
Harry Maguire believes Marcus Rashford is ready to shape Manchester United’s season again – and this time, to stay.
Rashford made his first Premier League start for the club in 21 months in the 5-2 win over Ipswich at Old Trafford, and played like a man intent on reclaiming his stage. Sharp, direct, constantly asking questions of the defence, he was one of United’s main attacking threats in a game that could yet mark a turning point in his career at the club.
Not long ago, that career looked to be over.
Frozen out after a breakdown in relations with former manager Ruben Amorim, Rashford was sent on loan to Aston Villa and then Barcelona. The Catalan club had the option to sign him permanently for £26m and, for a while, it felt like the most likely outcome. The buy clause went unused. The window now ticks towards Tuesday night’s deadline and, barring a late shock, Rashford will remain where it all began – at his boyhood club.
For Maguire, that is exactly how it should be.
“He's a great talent,” the defender said. “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.”
The words land against a noisy backdrop. Rashford has lived with a swirl of criticism for years, much of it dating back to Erik ten Hag’s time in charge. His work-rate has been attacked, his commitment doubted, even his love for the game questioned. Every dip in form has been magnified by the size of the club and the expectations that come with wearing its shirt.
The loans changed something. Working under Unai Emery at Villa and Hansi Flick at Barcelona appears to have sharpened his game and his focus. Now he returns to a United side led by Michael Carrick, a coach who knows him well from their shared past at Old Trafford and who has made no secret internally of how important Rashford could be to this rebuild.
“You've got to remember Marcus has had a wonderful career for this club,” Maguire said, keen to drag the conversation back to the bigger picture.
“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 territory. He lost both his place in the team and the captaincy under Ten Hag and looked certain to leave at one stage. He stayed, fought his way back, and now speaks with the authority of someone who has worn the scars.
“He's come back in, really fit and sharp and we're excited to have him,” he added, underlining the sense that Rashford’s Old Trafford story still has chapters to run.
Mainoo the “monster” in midfield
Rashford was not the only returning figure to catch the eye against Ipswich. Kobbie Mainoo, another player Carrick has taken under his wing, started his first game of the season and grew into the contest after United initially fell behind.
Carrick has already shown he can revive careers, having rejuvenated Mainoo after the midfielder was repeatedly overlooked by Amorim. Now he must do it again on the international stage, with the youngster needing to pick himself up after England boss Thomas Tuchel chose not to use him at the World Cup.
On Saturday’s evidence, the setback has not dented Mainoo’s belief.
“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 praise did not stop there. For Maguire, Mainoo’s youth is not a caveat, it is a promise.
“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.”
Carrick has described Rashford as feeling like a new signing. In Mainoo, he has a midfielder he has already reshaped. Between them, they offer something United have lacked for too long: a homegrown core with the talent and temperament to carry the team into a new era.
The question now is simple: can this be the season when promise finally hardens into dominance at Old Trafford?
