Man Utd SURPRISE: Michael Carrick makes Marcus Rashford demand

Manchester United interim boss Michael Carrick has big plans for Barcelona loanee Marcus Rashford if he is to be retained as head coach.

The former midfielder has enjoyed a rip-roaring start to his second spell in the Old Trafford dugout. Carrick has defeated Man City and Arsenal in his first two games in charge, which has naturally fuelled speculation that he could become the club’s permanent head coach.

According to transfer insider David Ornstein, this is not too far-fetched. Speaking exclusively to The Transfers Podcast last week, he revealed that Carrick will be under consideration for the job if Man Utd continue their positive form.

Should Carrick indeed be retained in the summer, he would be keen to welcome back his former teammate Marcus Rashford, The Telegraph reports. The two previously played together under Louis van Gaal, who handed Rashford his senior debut in early 2016.

The 28-year-old is currently impressing on loan at Barcelona, and it is widely believed that his career at Man Utd is over due to the manner in which he was pushed out of the club.

Could Rashford return to Man Utd?

Ruben Amorim forced Rashford out of Man Utd and even went so far as to suggest that he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach over the England international.

It wasn’t just Amorim who wanted to get rid of Rashford. The club fully supported the head coach’s decision as they sought to get the player’s enormous wages off the books. Understandably, the relationship between the parties soured as a result.

Rashford has made it clear that he wants to stay at Barcelona, and the feeling is mutual. Hansi Flick is desperate to keep the attacker, who has provided nine goals and 12 assists so far this term.

However, it is unclear if Barcelona can actually afford him. They agreed to cover his wages for the season, but it is thought that Rashford took a significant pay cut to join. It remains to be seen if he is willing to do the same again in the summer.

Talks have already been held to negotiate the price of Barcelona’s €30 million purchase option down, which is also instructive. €30m is a bargain fee for a player of Rashford’s quality, but the Catalans want – or perhaps need – an even cheaper deal.

Their efforts will be aided by the expected departure of Robert Lewandowski in the summer, although there is an expectation that another marquee forward will be signed to replace the Pole.

Should no deal be struck and Carrick be retained as head coach, he would welcome Rashford back with open arms. At this stage, though, a lot of pieces would have to fall into place for this to happen.

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