Man Utd prepared to sell Marcus Rashford after fallout with Ten Hag… and could drop £80m transfer valuation
MANCHESTER UNITED will listen to offers for Marcus Rashford after the breakdown of his relationship with Erik ten Hag.
The future of the manager was tied in with the Red Devils forward, 26.
Now Ten Hag is staying, the club will look to cash in on the academy graduate who became one of United’s brightest stars.
They will want £80million for their No10 but may have to accept nearer £60m following his drop in form last season.
Rashford and Ten Hag were barely on speaking terms by the end of it after he defied the manager by partying until the early hours in Belfast when he was due to train at Carrington later that day.
Ten Hag had already warned him about his off-field conduct after he partied at a city centre nightspot following a derby hammering at home to Manchester City on October 29.
The manager said that was “unacceptable” but was enraged when just a few months later he was out until the early hours of Friday January 26 ahead of that Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Newport.
He rang in sick later that day and missed training. He was axed from the squad as Ten Hag learned the full extent of what had happened.
That shattered their relationship although the manager had to continue to use the speedster forward.
Rashford thought there would be a fresh start when it looked like Ten Hag was getting the boot.
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That was before the Dutchman guided the club to a shock FA Cup final victory over Champions Manchester City, which saw new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe make a U-turn.
Rashford went from posting career best figures of 30 goals in 2022-23 to just eight last season as he lost his automatic spot in the starting line-up and place in the England squad for Euro 2024.
He is due back in training next Monday but unless he can have successful clear-the-air talks with Ten Hag, his future looks likely to lie elsewhere.
United are already lining up new players, with Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt set to be first through the door for £40m after his stay in Euros with Holland comes to an end.
Ten Hag worked with the 24-year-old at Ajax.
Off the field Ratcliffe is axing staff with around a quarter of United’s 1,150 workforce informed in a staff meeting that they will be made redundant.
Nine managers Man Utd considered before keeping Erik ten Hag
ERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman edged dangerously close to the sack.
Here are nine managers Red Devils chiefs are reported to have considered for the job and what allegedly happened with each.
Gareth Southgate
Enjoys plenty of support among Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chiefs but made clear he wouldn’t talk to any clubs until after Euro 2024. There is yet to be any suggestion that contact was made with the England boss.
Kieran McKenna
Talks were opened with McKenna’s representatives before the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd coach opted to sign a new deal with Ipswich after Ten Hag’s Wembley win.
Roberto De Zerbi
Allegedly sounded out before the FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos chiefs concluded ex-Brighton boss was not the right fit for the project.
Thomas Frank
Brentford boss met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.
Marco Silva
Fulham boss reportedly met Man Utd representatives face-to-face two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.
Mauricio Pochettino
Fell out of Man Utd’s thinking in the first week of June, despite being a favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Thomas Tuchel
Made a very strong impression and came across well during a Monaco meeting. Personal terms were discussed before the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss decided to step back from the process.
Ruben Amorim
Sporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but did not make the final reckoning.
Roberto Martinez
Portugal manager was considered in the early stages.