Nicky Butt has declared that Marcus Rashford’s ‘ship has sailed’ at Manchester United, pointing out that bigger players have departed the club in the past. Rashford, 27, secured a season-long loan move to Barcelona this summer after being deemed surplus to requirements by Ruben Amorim last winter. The striker fell out of favour with the Portuguese tactician shortly following his November arrival, before securing a loan switch to Aston Villa back in February.
Nevertheless, following his summer return, Rashford appeared to have no prospects at Old Trafford and consequently joined Barcelona on loan with an option for a £20million permanent transfer. Numerous supporters will question whether the Red Devils’ academy product will return to his boyhood club, but Butt believes he has no role with United moving forward.
Speaking to the MEN via BetMGM, the 50-year-old said: “Yeah, I think that ship’s sailed. I think over the last two or three seasons he’s shown that he needs to move football clubs.
“I think that comes, you know, a lot of things have been said about certain behaviours and whatever he’s been doing, but not everyone’s built to stay at a football club all their lives.
“It’s very few and far between, one club players within the whole of the Premier League, and it gets on my nerves a little bit. Everyone goes, ‘Oh he wants to leave Man United’. Well, Man United haven’t been performing great.
“Man United are not winning anything at the minute, they’re slipping down the tables of the biggest clubs in the world. My history loves the football club, but nobody has to stay at a football club forever.
“And yeah, he didn’t behave right at certain times, Marcus, we all get that, but he’s a phenomenal footballer, and I think he went to Villa, did well, and I think he’s now joined a massive football club in Barcelona, and I think it’ll work out for him.
“Man United’s part of his history, he’ll always love the football club, he’s been there since he was seven years of age, I know his family love the football club as well, but life moves on.
“Big players leave football clubs, bigger players than Marcus have left Man United, and bigger players will leave the football club in the future as well.
“Hopefully he’ll put Barcelona into Marcus Rashford’s history as well, with the shining light on it, and he’ll look back on what a great move it’s been.”
It comes after Rashford opened up about United’s struggles following his loan switch to Barcelona.
The forward argued that the Red Devils have failed to properly adjust since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, despite appointing a string of high-profile managers.
Speaking to Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football, Rashford said: “At times I feel like United has been…we’re hungry to win, so we will always try to adapt and sign players that fit this system, but it’s reactionary.
“If your directions are always changing, you can’t expect to win the league. You might win some cup tournaments, but it’s because you have a good coach, good players and you have match winners in your team, you’re not there by accident.
“This is what some people forget. Yeah, we have been way lower than what people deem United to be, but if you take a step back, which I’ve been able to do, especially over the last six months, what do you expect?
“People say we have been in a transition for years. To be in a transition you need to start a transition. It’s like the actual transition has not started yet.”
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