Man Utd should have Michael Carrick talks before making Marcus Rashford call

Barcelona are baulking at paying £26million for the England attacker but Man Utd feel the price is too low so don’t rule out a shock reconciliation at the end of the season

Considering he had not previously held a permanent managerial role in the Premier League, plenty of observers believe Michael Carrick is very fortunate to be in charge of Manchester United. Not only is he in charge of Manchester United until the end of the season, the long-term job increasingly looks as though it is his for the taking.

If that happens, the same observers will probably believe Carrick should be grateful for the opportunity. And they would be right – but only to an extent.

If Carrick has a storming end to the season and easily qualifies for the Champions League, he will not just be in prime position to be confirmed in the role, he will be in a position of strength when it comes to negotiation. Not just in terms of remuneration and length of contract, but in terms of executive power.

READ MORE: Staggering amount Man Utd agreed to pay for players they don’t want as millions wastedREAD MORE: Man Utd news: Michael Carrick has ‘concern’ as Red Devils locked in Barcelona transfer battle

Who will call the shots on tactics? On recruitment? On player sales? To revisit the downfall of Ruben Amorim, will he be manager? Or head coach? Will he take orders from Jason Wilcox?

True, this all feels a fair way down the line but it is relevant to the situation developing in Barcelona and to Marcus Rashford’s future. According to reliable reports, Barcelona will haggle when it comes to the £26million option-to-buy fee and try and get it lowered.

From a United point of view, not only will they not countenance lowering the option-to-buy fee, they believe they might have made a mistake by setting it so low. And on the face of it, United would have a point if they now thought £26million was too low.

Rashford could be a star of the World Cup, he should be in his prime at the age of 28, he is playing for one of THE elite club teams in the world (and owned by another) and is under contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2028. Of course the going rate for a player in that scenario should be higher than £26million. Way higher.

In a different position, granted, but United paid £60million for a 30-year-old Casemiro. Whatever you think about Rashford, £26million is a bargain. Only for Barca, it isn’t.

If Rashford only wants to play for them, why would they get involved in any sort of price war … with themselves? Why wouldn’t they try their luck?

If United want to get Rashford off the books and Barca is the only place he wants to go, the Catalan club is in a strong position. Plus, while he has done well there, he has not been an automatic starter and Barca might still consider his permanent recruitment as a bit of a gamble.

At the moment, all of this is of little concern to Carrick. But it will be if he gets the long-term gig. A highly-motivated Rashford might certainly appeal to Carrick – whether Carrick’s United would appeal to Rashford is another matter.

But it is a conversation worth having, especially if Barcelona are going to try and play low-ball with the buyout figure. And if United do indeed believe Rashford is worth a lot more than the £26million buyout figure, then it is worth asking Carrick if he wants to try and keep him.

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