Marcus Rashford's Manchester United Reunion with Ruben Amorim

Marcus Rashford is back in the Manchester United spotlight – and this reunion carries a little more edge than your usual pre-season run-out.

Michael Carrick has named the winger in his travelling squad for United’s final warm-up game of the summer against AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland this afternoon, a fixture already loaded with narrative thanks to Ruben Amorim’s arrival at San Siro.

Old wounds, new stage

Rashford’s relationship with Amorim imploded at Old Trafford. During the Portuguese coach’s short and disappointing spell in charge, the pair clashed badly, a breakdown that looked like it had closed the book on Rashford’s United career.

The flashpoint came around the Manchester derby in December 2024. Amorim dropped Rashford for the game, then banished him from first-team training. It was a brutal call, and it set off a chain of events that sent the forward out of the club.

By January, Rashford was at Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season, a move that felt more like exile than opportunity.

When he returned to Manchester that summer, the situation hardly improved. He was placed in a so-called “Bomb Squad” group and shipped out again, this time to Barcelona on a season-long loan. While Rashford tried to rebuild in Spain, Amorim’s United reign unravelled and he was eventually sacked, with Michael Carrick stepping in as his replacement.

Barcelona door closes, United door reopens

For a long stretch last season, the expectation was simple: Rashford would stay at Barcelona permanently. The Catalan club held a £26m buy option and his future seemed tied to Camp Nou.

Then came the twist. Barca opted against triggering the clause and instead moved for Anthony Gordon, leaving Rashford’s next step wide open.

After the World Cup, the 28-year-old reported back to United and was in Dublin with the squad this week. He did not feature against Leeds, but Carrick has now included him in the group heading to face Milan – and, by extension, Amorim.

Fans make their feelings clear

If there was any doubt about how supporters feel, the numbers cut through it. Asked by MEN Sport whether Rashford should play against AC Milan on Saturday, United fans delivered a clear verdict.

Out of 2,799 votes at the time of writing, 84 per cent said “Yes”. Only 13 per cent were against the idea, with three per cent unsure.

It is not just Rashford stepping back into a complicated dynamic. Kobbie Mainoo, another player who endured a difficult spell under Amorim, is also in the travelling party. The midfielder’s inclusion adds another layer to a game that already feels more charged than a routine pre-season date.

Teenage forward JJ Gabriel has been handed another chance with the first team as well, a sign that Carrick is prepared to blend rehabilitation with opportunity as he shapes his squad.

So Rashford boards the plane, heading towards a meeting with the coach who once froze him out. Pre-season or not, this one suddenly feels like a measure of where his United story goes next.