- 19 hours ago
Rashford a £60m problem as Man Utd get their De Jong at last
Robin Bairner
- 19 Dec 2024 01:05 CST
- 4 min read
Marcus Rashford is set to pose a major problem for Manchester United in the weeks – and perhaps even months – to come.
Rashford has all-but admitted that he wants to leave the club for a “new challenge” after he was left out of the squad to face Manchester City at the weekend.
The winger will also not feature against Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup on Thursday, despite head coach Ruben Amorim publicly leaving the door open for the 27-year-old to return to action following his bombshell remarks.
Current ETV
Marcus Rashford
F (CL), M (L)
Man Utd
Marcus Rashford
F (CL), M (L)
Man Utd
ETV Range
€40.6M - €67.7M
None of this would be a particular issue for the Red Devils if there was an obvious destination for the player during the January transfer window. Suitors for Rashford are, however, thin on the ground.
His position is detailed in The Athletic, which reports that even clubs in the Saudi Pro League do not want to take on the winger, despite the influence of a Man Utd legend in the case.
“Rio Ferdinand, the former United defender, has alerted contacts in the Saudi Pro League to Rashford’s availability. In his role as ambassador for the New Era Global Sports agency, Ferdinand has provided positive character references about Rashford,” it reports.
“People briefed on the matter in the Gulf state say Saudi clubs are being more selective in the players they target, however, and believing the stock of English talent has fallen, do not expect a market to emerge for Rashford for the time being.”
Rashford’s contract makes him unsellable
Rashford, it appears, is unsellable. He is in this position for two reasons: firstly, he mediocre form over the last 18 months, but more pertinently a huge contract that makes him one of Man Utd’s best-paid players.
His deal is worth a massive €395,000 (£325,000) per week and only expires at the end of June 2028. There is, therefore, around €72m (£60m) left on his contract. Rashford is not going to walk away from such a figure.
Echoes of De Jong
Manchester United find themselves in the same position as Barcelona, who cannot sell Frenkie de Jong – a player that the Red Devils were, ironically, chasing hard as Erik ten Hag arrived at the club in the summer of 2022.
Like Rashford, De Jong has suffered a downturn in form after signing a big deal and Barca have found to their cost how difficult it can be to move a player on who simply does not want to depart.
The Netherlands midfielder has simply refused to consider options from other clubs, aware that they can only pay him a fraction of his salary at Camp Nou. There are further issues in this case relating to delayed payments from the Covid pandemic to complicate matters further, but the bottom line is that De Jong is stuck at Barcelona because of his wages.
Rashford is set to find himself in a similar position at Man Utd. He has not been good enough lately to merit a move to a big club, and any team that would want him can’t afford him. This is a situation that suits no one.
