Michael Carrick has confirmed that Marcus Rashford will rejoin his Manchester United teammates at a training camp in Ireland next week. Rashford, 28, was granted an extended rest period following England's third-place finish at the FIFA World Cup and is now set to train with the United squad for the first time in 18 months.
The forward was among a five-man bomb squad last summer under former boss Ruben Amorim and was excluded from first-team training sessions before Barcelona brought him in on a season-long loan deal. Barca held the option to sign him permanently for £26 million ($35 million), but despite Rashford contributing 25 goals and assists, the La Liga giants remained unconvinced by his overall displays.
Barring any transfer activity over the next three weeks, Rashford will stay at Old Trafford. Speaking following United's 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, Carrick told Scandinavian broadcaster VG: "We have a full squad next week in Dublin.
"We fly straight there and meet Leeds on Wednesday. We have a few days in Dublin where we have the whole squad, including Marcus, Kobbie [Mainoo] and Lisandro [Martinez]."
Carrick, who shared the dressing room with Rashford at United for three seasons prior to transitioning into coaching, added: "I've played with him. I played in the game he made his debut, so we have a history."
In a striking twist of fate, Rashford could make his long-awaited comeback against Amorim, the very manager who dropped him back in December 2024. That's because Amorim now sits in the dugout at AC Milan, whom United will face in Poland next Saturday following their game against Leeds United, via The Mirror.
Rashford enjoyed a fruitful campaign at Barcelona, capturing both the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup. However, Barca chose to spend £69 million ($81.7 million) on Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon and £19 million (around $25 million) on Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi to reinforce their attack.
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Barcelona manager Hansi Flick revealed last week that he'll 'miss' Rashford, explaining: "You don't know what happens with players who are on loan - our situation is not easy for that. But I appreciate working with him.
"He is a fantastic player and a fantastic person. The team miss him, I will miss him, but it is life.
"This is what we have to accept. And in the end, Anthony Gordon comes and from the first call with him when I spoke with him, he is on fire with Barca and I'm really happy that he's on our team."
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
