Manchester United are so keen to get rid of Marcus Rashford in January that they are reportedly considering sending him on loan.
Rashford dominated the United agenda this week after admitting he is ready to leave his boyhood club for a new challenge. His shock admission came after Ruben Amorim left him and Alejandro Garnacho out of the squad for Sunday's Manchester Derby.
Amorim is trying to instill some discipline in the squad he inherited from Erik ten Hag and left out Rashford to send a message. United are reportedly open to selling Rashford in the January transfer window and value him at £40 million.
The problem is that the 27-year-old forward is paid £325,000 per week on a contract that runs until June 2028, making him unaffordable for the vast majority of clubs. There is reportedly interest from Saudi Arabia, but Rashford may not be open to a drastic move this early in his career.
Amorim has been inundated with questions about the homegrown striker in recent days and does not want his situation to become a distraction. The Sun reports that there has been a lot of turmoil at United in recent days and that they are now considering the option of sending him out on loan until the end of the season – the approach they previously took with Jadon Sancho, who is now at Chelsea, after had previously been sent to Borussia Dortmund.
United are unwilling to take the risk of strengthening their Premier League rivals and would therefore only consider loaning Rashford to a European club. Teams in Spain, France and Germany are reportedly monitoring the situation. Rashford was previously linked to Paris Saint-Germain, one of the few clubs that can finance a transfer.
“For me personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps,” Rashford said this week. “If I leave, there won't be any hard feelings. You won't get any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That's me as a person.”
“If I know a situation is already bad, I'm not going to make it worse. I've seen other players leave in the past and I don't want to be that person. If I leave, I will make sure an explanation and it will be mine.”
Amorim has tried to keep both options open in his public comments, although he did criticize Rashford's recent comments. “If this were me, I'd probably speak to the manager,” he said.
“Nothing has changed, we believe in Marcus. Marcus is a Manchester United player, so there is no change. This kind of club needs great talent and he is a great talent, so he just has to perform at the highest level and that is my focus. I just want to help Marcus.”
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