MARCUS Rashford is at a crossroads.
But now the England star must make the biggest choice he has ever faced: does he care about money, or his career?
Rashford's shock admission that he is “ready for a new challenge” after some 20 years under the Manchester United umbrella has changed the dynamic surrounding his future.
That Rashford may not have fit into the blueprint set by Ruben Amorim – who has now responded to Rashford's comments – wasn't exactly a surprise.
The Portuguese coach prefers a 3-4-3 formation but appears to have opted for Rasmus Hojlund as his starting central striker and wants two 'narrow' inside forwards, with the width coming from the wing-backs.
Rashford has always wanted to play through the middle, but is often at his best exploiting spaces out wide – and those skills don't necessarily suit the way Amorim wants to play.
Still, making public his clear dissatisfaction at being completely bombed out of the Manchester derby squad was a big step, even as he promised there would be “no hard feelings” if he left his boyhood club.
In reality, Rashford left United almost from the moment he signed the new £325,000-a-week contract in 2023.
Something was broken in his connection with the club. His form dropped, his threat disappeared, his problems with the hierarchy increased.
When Erik ten Hag dropped him for organizing a birthday party after a derby defeat, and later fell ill because he had to miss the FA Cup match with Newport, even then it felt like the writing was on the wall.
The facts suggest that the love affair has ended. After scoring 30 goals in all competitions to earn that new contract, he has scored just 15 in the 18 months since signing it.
The arrival of Amorim seems only to have accelerated what was becoming increasingly inevitable.
However, now it is up to Rashford to determine what his future will bring.
If it's just about the money, his options may be a bit limited.
It's hard to see a Prem rival commanding the same £16.9m annual salary – although Rashford's comments are likely to have even netted him a £20m plus discount on the transfer fee next month.
But Real Madrid have had enough of big-money attackers and Barcelona's budget remains limited by La Liga's financial controls.
In Europe, PSG will probably remain, but with a step towards a one-club competition.
Or, in the wider world, he could follow the likes of Ivan Toney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Firmino and Co and head to the Saudi desert.
Lucrative, yes. A change of scenery for sure – and that may be exactly what Rashford both wants and needs. But the football? Not in a million years.
What Rashford needs above all is to be able to play for trophies and showcase his talents.
There is no better stage than the Premier League, which has far more global eyes on it than any other domestic competition.
And in that Premier League there is one club that is crying out for a goalscorer as number 9, especially if he can also play through the left channel to balance the team and increase the threat.
Rashford has always been more Longsight than London.
Yet Arsenal and Mikel Arteta could be the perfect match.
The Gunners' lack of a good goalscorer is one of the main factors that many fans believe has damaged their title challenge this year.
Gabriel Jesus has never been a natural finisher, while Kai Havertz is still a converted midfielder.
And while the partnership between Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka is making their right flank deadly, confidence in Gabriel Martinelli is dwindling on the left.
Not many achieved success at Arsenal after leaving United, even if Danny Welbeck wasn't a flop.
Rashford has all the makings to change that history, if he can reproduce what everyone knows is inside him.
And by breaking free and giving himself the chance to start all over again, Rashford can make a point against Amorim that will resonate for a long time.
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