Marcus Rashford's summer is now tied to two different timelines: England's World Cup run, and Manchester United's attempt to reset their pre-season without further delay. The 28-year-old is expected to return to Manchester United for training once England's campaign is over, with Thursday marking the start of United's pre-season plans.
That makes his situation one of the more awkward storylines around Old Trafford. Rashford has not been in Manchester United selection since the breakdown in his relationship with the club, and the broader issue has not gone away simply because the calendar has moved on. United want to reduce his wage bill, but they have not yet found enough suitors to make a clean exit simple.
The last time Rashford played for Manchester United was in December 2024, when they beat Viktoria Pilzen 2-1 in the Europa League. After that, the club moved him out on loan to Aston Villa in January 2025, before another loan spell took him to Barcelona in May 2025 for the 2025-26 season. In that same month, he also scored in Barcelona's 2-0 win against Real Madrid, a reminder that the forward remains a valuable player even if United's plans have shifted away from him.
What the calendar says
Manchester United's summer schedule is already packed. They face Wrexham in Helsinki on 18 July, Rosenborg in Trondheim on 24 July, Atlético Madrid in Stockholm on 1 August and Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on 8 August. If England reach the World Cup final, 10 August is the earliest Rashford could be back at United.
That detail matters because the early part of the pre-season has traditionally been where managers start to build rhythm and define roles. United also play Leeds in Dublin on 12 August and Milan in Wroclaw on 15 August, before travelling to Hull a week later to begin the Premier League season. In other words, this is not a long runway. It is a compressed one, and Rashford's return date could affect how quickly the club sorts out its forward options.
A player, a wage bill and a wait
This is not just a gossip item about when a player reports for duty. It is a squad-planning problem. United have been trying to move Rashford on, but without enough clubs willing to take on the full package, the situation has become more static than either side probably wanted.
That leaves a player who has spent long stretches away from the club but still sits close to the centre of its summer calculations. Carrick, now the permanent head coach after initially replacing Ruben Amorim in January as caretaker, has spoken about building a squad that can compete over a full Premier League campaign and on European nights. Rashford's case is a reminder that before any of that happens, United still have to resolve the pieces they already know they want to move.
The cleanest reading is simple: Rashford is expected back after England's World Cup campaign, but that does not mean the story is settled. It only means the next phase is about to begin.
