Carrick speaks for the first time about Rashford’s future, hinting at his complete departure from Manchester United! Key details of Barcelona’s purchase revealed

Carrick, who played alongside Rashford and took over as interim manager after Solskjaer left, was rumored to recall Rashford if he continued coaching beyond this season. However, the 28-year-old English talent has no desire to return to Manchester United, and Carrick concedes that it’s unrealistic for every player to spend their entire career at one club.

Rashford was loaned to Barcelona this season, with the Spanish club holding a €30 million option to buy him. Carrick admits that Rashford’s future is not his decision. Regardless of whether Barcelona exercises the permanent transfer option, Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe also wants to offload him to reduce wage costs, as Rashford’s weekly salary is £325,000.

This suggests Rashford may have already played his final match for Manchester United. Carrick states that nowadays, most players cannot spend their entire careers at one club, which is a harsh reality. The examples of Giggs, Scholes, and Gary Neville may never be repeated.

When asked if he feels it’s a pity that Rashford is leaving Old Trafford, Carrick responded, “It’s hard to say because I wasn’t present for some of the circumstances, so I really can’t comment.”

The Manchester United manager added, “However, Marcus (Rashford) rising through the United academy and achieving such significant success at the club is definitely positive. He has been part of many important moments and great memories here, some of which I shared with him. Professional football is like that; some players simply cannot stay forever, things always change — that’s the reality.”

The likelihood of Rashford’s permanent transfer from Manchester United this summer depends on the outcome of Barcelona’s club presidential election on March 15. Among the four candidates, Javier Villarroya has clearly stated that if elected, he plans to bring in Harry Kane from Bayern Munich, claiming his team has already been in talks with Bayern.

At the same time, Rashford’s deal will be reassessed. Villarroya suggests Barcelona should look internally to strengthen their attack and mentioned youth academy graduate Yan Vergili. This view is unsurprising since Villarroya previously headed Barcelona’s La Masia academy.

Vergili was sold by Barcelona to Mallorca but has a buy-back clause this summer. He is nine years younger than Rashford and contributed six assists in his first La Liga season. While his current ability does not match the England international, Rashford has scored 10 goals and provided 13 assists.

Villarroya explained, “I have always believed internal talent should be prioritized. I often say external signings should only be considered when existing players don’t meet requirements.” He told ESPN, “For example, Vergili is an excellent winger. I might consider activating the buy-back clause for him instead of paying Rashford’s release fee.”

However, the potential Barcelona presidential candidate also admits that if coach Flick requests Rashford’s purchase, the club will have the funds to complete the deal. “Decisions are not made by the president alone; the president raises the issue, and all parties consider various options before making the final call. I can confirm that from a sporting perspective, if signing Rashford is the best choice, Barcelona has enough resources to make it happen.”