Rashford returns to Manchester United wearing the No.14 shirt! Carrick might have the right instructions, and fans are ready to applaud.

On Sunday, Marcus Rashford and England teammate Kobbie Mainoo reported for Manchester United's pre-season training in Dublin, Ireland. They assembled at Carrington first and then flew to the camp, reaching the destination on Sunday afternoon. They were accompanied by Kunia, Sena Ramens, Carl Darlow, De Ligt, Sesko, and youngsters Gabriel and Tynan Thompson, all of whom had missed the last friendly game because of different reasons.

Interestingly, Rashford's former No.10 shirt was taken by Kunia, who was also traveling with the team. According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United has assigned him a new number - 14, which matches the number he wore at Barcelona last season.

This was not the summer that either Rashford or Manchester United had planned. However, they might both turn a misfortune into a blessing. Rashford can earn more money, with his weekly salary of £325,000 being the highest in the squad. Meanwhile, the Red Devils might obtain the "instruction manual" for properly utilizing this player.

Going back to the beginning of the year, it was widely expected that Barcelona would trigger the €30 million buyout clause to make Rashford's loan permanent. However, Barcelona wanted to negotiate a lower price or extend the loan, but Manchester United refused. As a result, the La Liga champions spent over €90 million to sign Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi instead.

With his dream of staying at Camp Nou shattered, Rashford will return to Manchester United next week to begin his pre-season preparations. To this end, the club has canceled some public training sessions scheduled for early next week at the training base in Maynooth, Dublin, Ireland, to prevent outside cameras from capturing Rashford rejoining the team.

Unless another European giant steps in, Rashford, who has two years left on his contract, will stay under Carrick's management. Since he will only start training next Monday, he is not expected to play in Wednesday's friendly against Leeds United. Thus, Rashford, who has not worn the Manchester United shirt since the Europa League match in December 2024, will make his first appearance on August 15 against AC Milan, whose manager is none other than Ruben Amorim, the man who exiled him from Old Trafford.

Although this is not his ideal scenario, both Manchester United and Rashford have to face the messy reality. Amorim's departure in January at least gives United the option to keep Rashford. Even though Amorim's decision was originally backed by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada, and football director Jason Wilcox, as long as everyone pretends it never happened, they can continue to work together.

Carrick once played alongside Rashford under Louis van Gaal, and he also served as Rashford's coach during the tenures of Mourinho and Solskjaer. It is said that the two have a good relationship, so Manchester United hopes that if Rashford does return, he will show a more mature and better version of himself.

Rashford scored 14 goals in all competitions for Barcelona last season, his best single-season tally since scoring 30 goals under Erik ten Hag in the 2022/23 campaign. Additionally, he also provided 14 assists, which is a rare statistic for him.

Part of Amorim's dissatisfaction with Rashford stemmed from his off-field behavior and attitude. The young Portuguese coach once publicly stated that he would rather use a goalkeeper coach in his sixties than a player like Rashford who lacks professionalism.

However, at Barcelona, aside from being two minutes late to a team meeting in September, which resulted in him missing the starting lineup against Getafe, Rashford made almost no mistakes. Head coach Hansi Flick even said last week that he will miss the English winger. Flick stated: "I am honored to have worked with Marcus. He is a fantastic player and a wonderful person. The team will miss him, and I will miss him too, but that's life."

Upon returning to Manchester United, Rashford's status will be different from before. He will no longer be an automatic starter. He has even lost his first-team squad number and locker room location. The No.10 jersey, which Mourinho gave him in 2018, was handed over to Kunia last summer and will not return to him.

With the arrivals of Kunia, Mbeumo, Diallo, and Sesko, as well as Patrick Dorgu who has switched positions, his place in the starting lineup is not guaranteed, and he might not even be the first substitute.

Rashford's return has extinguished the possibility of Manchester United signing a new winger. Before the summer window opened, the club had envisioned selling Hojlund and him to raise €90 million to buy new wingers and a striker. Now, Rashford might serve as both the "new" winger and striker himself, as he can play both positions, just like he did at Barcelona.

The one most affected is definitely Danish international Dorgu. Carrick has positioned him as a left winger, and he has never played left-back in pre-season. But if Rashford proves himself again, Dorgu might have to return to the left-back position and compete with Luke Shaw.

During Mourinho's tenure at Manchester United, Rashford's best performances came when he shared substitute duties with Martial. He was also a "super sub" at Barcelona, which seems to be the optimal way to use him. Manchester United fans know that Rashford only plays well when he is mentally committed, and it largely depends on whether he responds to being benched by working harder or by giving up.

Rashford's impressive season on loan at Barcelona was enough to earn him a recall to Thomas Tuchel's England squad and he participated in the World Cup. With the 2028 European Championship to be held on home soil in Britain, he hopes to remain in Tuchel's plans, so he should stay motivated.

Manchester United fans' opinions on Rashford may be divided. Many hope the club will part ways with him, while others want to give the academy graduate a second chance. If Rashford appears in United's first Premier League home game of the season on August 30 against Ipswich Town, it will be interesting to see how he is received. It is expected that Old Trafford will still welcome the local lad with applause.

One thing is certain: despite the mixed reactions from fans at the moment, if Rashford scores for Manchester United, the discontent will quickly dissipate. People may then praise the prodigal son's return and the mending of broken ties—this is the trend in modern football.

With just over three weeks left until the summer transfer window closes, Manchester United remains open to offers for Rashford, but insists on not loaning him out or selling him cheaply. The club's hierarchy believes his value is much higher than Barcelona's original €30 million buyout clause, but they also acknowledge that no one will pay more than that.

Some Premier League clubs have reportedly inquired about Rashford's situation, but none have made a formal offer. His weekly wage of £325,000 is an almost insurmountable obstacle for almost every club in the world. His brother, who also acts as his agent, has denied rumors of a possible move to the Turkish Super Lig or the Saudi Pro League, emphasizing that he wants to remain in the England squad.

As the transfer window deadline approaches, the situation may change, but Rashford staying at the club is the more likely outcome. The once-unthinkable scenario is about to happen. Rashford, with 138 goals, is 15th on Manchester United's all-time scoring list, needing 17 more to equal Paul Scholes, who is 10th. Romano said: "Manchester United has decided to assign Rashford a new shirt number to show their trust in him and make him part of the team. It is understood that Rashford will wear the No.14 shirt and has already traveled with the squad. Unless a top European club makes an offer, he will stay."