Marcus Rashford could make his first Manchester United appearance in 611 days when Michael Carrick’s side face AC Milan in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday.
The England international has returned to first-team training after spending last season on loan at Barcelona and the previous six months with Aston Villa.
Rashford missed Wednesday’s draw with Leeds United, but Carrick deliberately held him back with the AC Milan game in mind.
Marcus Rashford Man Utd return edges closer
Carrick confirmed before the Leeds game that Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez were not quite ready to feature in Dublin.
The United boss said the trio were being preserved for the weekend, leaving Rashford in contention to receive his first minutes back in a United shirt against Milan.
It would end an extraordinary absence.
Rashford’s last appearance for United came against Viktoria Plzen in December 2024, shortly before his relationship with then-head coach Ruben Amorim deteriorated.
ReadManUtd reported in July that Rashford had made himself available for pre-season and was due to hold direct talks with Carrick over his future.
That possibility has now moved considerably closer to becoming a reality.
There is also an added twist to Saturday’s game.
Amorim is now in charge of AC Milan, meaning Rashford could complete his United comeback against the manager who removed him from the first-team picture at Old Trafford.
United have strengthened their attack significantly since Rashford last played for the club, so there is no guarantee of a starting position once competitive football begins.
Saturday is nevertheless an important opportunity.
After more than 600 days away from the United team, Rashford finally has the chance to show Carrick what he can still offer.
