Andy Cole believes Marcus Rashford still has plenty to offer Manchester United and is hopeful the forward can carry his Barcelona form into the new season.
Marcus Rashford is back with the United squad after spending the last 18 months away from Old Trafford. He initially joined Aston Villa in February 2025 before moving to Barcelona for the following campaign.
The England international made 49 appearances for Barcelona last season and scored 14 goals as the club won La Liga. He has now returned to Manchester United and is being given the chance to impress Michael Carrick.
Cole wants Marcus Rashford to rediscover his best form
Marcus Rashford joined up with the squad at the start of the week for the trip to Ireland but hasn’t featured yet. He is expected to feature against AC Milan, giving him an opportunity to get his first minutes back in a United shirt.
Andy Cole, himself a prolific forward at Manchester United, is excited to see the forward back at Old Trafford and believes his season in Spain could prove important.
“I think Marcus is a super player, fingers crossed he has the same kind of season he had when he was at Barcelona last season. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about him,” Cole told The Irish News.
The former United striker has remained a big admirer of Rashford and feels the forward looked much more like himself during his time in Spain.
“Looking at him last season, I watched quite a bit of him.
“I thought he was brilliant, seemed to have got his mojo back. I’m one of his biggest fans so I hope he plays very well for Manchester United this season. Just gets his head down and does what he knows what he’s good at doing, simple as that.”
That is perhaps the biggest challenge for Rashford now.
He has returned to a United side under a new manager after his difficult spell under Ruben Amorim, which eventually led to his departure from the club. Amorim was involved in a falling-out with the forward during their time together.
Carrick opens the door for Rashford
Carrick has made it clear that Rashford is not being treated differently from the rest of the squad.
“Marcus is our player and he’s part of the group like anybody else. He came in, he’s trained really well. I’ve known him a long time, like I’ve known some of the others a long time, so I don’t treat him any different to anybody else, but it’s been good to have him around the group again this week. I’m really positive with that.”
That represents a clean slate for Rashford, who hasn’t played for United since leaving on loan.
For United, there is still a major question over what Rashford’s future holds. But with Carrick welcoming him back and Andy Cole backing him strongly, the door at Old Trafford is clearly still open.
