
Manchester United
Premier League • England
How Marcus Rashford fits in at AC Milan, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund or Juventus

What colours will we be seeing Rashford in next?
Marcus Rashford needs to get out of Manchester United, but he also needs to pick the right next club, so what role could he play for his interested suitors?
Rashford has fallen firmly out of favour under Ruben Amorim at Man Utd, who are now looking to send him elsewhere – even if it is just on loan – for the rest of the season.
Throughout his career, Rashford has usually played as either a left-winger or a centre-forward. He prefers the left-wing role, but has had positive spells in either position.
Furthermore, he can play on the right wing or even as an attacking midfielder, although those roles are slightly less common for him.
Recently, he has generated interest from AC Milan, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus. But which positions would he be most likely to feature in for those clubs – and whose existing places would he be competing for?
Below, TEAMtalk takes a closer look at how Rashford might fit in to each of those four suitors’ tactical systems.
AC Milan
One of Rashford’s most insistent suitors, with interest pushed by former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan are still in a state of evolution after replacing head coach Paulo Fonseca with Sergio Conceicao.
Conceicao has been using a 4-3-3 formation so far, compared to the 4-2-3-1 Fonseca was using.
On paper, Milan’s strongest front three has Rafael Leao on the left wing, Alvaro Morata at centre-forward and Christian Pulisic on the right wing.
Although he encountered some issues with Fonseca, Leao is widely regarded as one of Milan’s best players, so if he is fit and firing, he could have the left-wing spot nailed down – forcing Rashford to take Morata’s place as a striker instead.

Rashford and Morata are different types of striker, of course, with the former being a more mobile option and the latter better with his back to goal, so it could depend on what kind of game plan Conceicao wants to deploy against a particular opponent.
Alternatively, Rashford could get his wish of playing on the left wing, but it would be hard to imagine a way for him and Leao to feature in the same team then.
From the wider role, he would likely be tasked with drifting inside to support Morata and benefit from the Spaniard bringing others into play.
There could still be a way for Morata, Leao and Rashford to all feature together, either by Rashford taking Pulisic’s place on the right wing or by Milan changing their shape. Conceicao sometimes used a 4-4-2 when he was in charge of Porto, so if he was to replicate that in his new job, Leao could play on the left and Pulisic on the right, with Rashford supporting Morata up front.
Again, this would enable him to play off Morata, but drifting in between the two roles he can play in, Rashford might be able to get himself in scoring situations.
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford next? How the last 10 players to leave Man Utd for Serie A fared
Barcelona
A dream destination for Rashford – which might yet become reality – would be Barcelona.
If he has to leave the Premier League, moving to LaLiga could be the next best thing – and Barcelona would be an illustrious destination.
Again, though, they have a high-performing left-winger in their current squad. Raphinha is averaging almost a goal-per-game when playing on the left this season; he scored a brace from that position in the Supercopa De Espana final on January 12.
That said, unlike Leao at Milan, Raphinha isn’t so tied down to one position. The Brazil international has played on the right wing or in attacking midfield at other times this season, while his deputy on the left, Ansu Fati, is regarded as a fading talent, so there could be occasions when Rashford would be turned to in his favourite position as a different rotation option.

However, Raphinha playing on the right to accommodate Rashford would mean Lamine Yamal or Ferran Torres would likely have to drop out, and Barcelona have been insistent on not blocking the teenager’s development in particular.
If he wants to play as a striker, meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski is the man Rashford would have to displace. And unsurprisingly, his goals-to-games ratio isn’t far off one in one either, so he would be a big obstacle to starting opportunities.
At the age of 36, though, the Poland striker can’t necessarily play 90 minutes every week (though he pretty much did in November’s LaLiga schedule, for example). It’s likely Barcelona will be considering their options for Lewandowski’s long-term successor, but would they give that opportunity to a potential loanee like Rashford?
Borussia Dortmund
This time last year, Borussia Dortmund were taking Jadon Sancho back on loan from Man Utd. Now, they’re interested in offering a lifeline to Rashford.
There has been room for plenty of attackers in Nuri Sahin’s recent lineups; a 4-1-3-2 shape has allowed the former Liverpool midfielder to cram in two wingers, a number 10 and two strikers.
If Dortmund were to persist with this shape, Rashford would have a few ways to fit in. Perhaps he could thrive as one of the two strikers, alongside either Serhou Guirassy or Maximilian Beier – especially since they are the only two out-and-out centre-forwards in the squad.
Playing on the left wing would be possible as well, but fellow Englishman, Jamie Gittens, has been in good form there this season and deserves to keep his place.
Therefore, the opposite flank might be easier for Rashford to claim his place on – especially since Donyell Malen is on the verge of joining Aston Villa from Dortmund.

Karim Adeyemi would remain a spare option for Dortmund, capable of playing anywhere across the frontline, in a similar way to how Rashford wouldn’t be exclusively limited to one role.
Juventus
Thiago Motta has been trying to implement his vision to Juventus since leaving Bologna over the summer, but it has been a stop-start process so far.
Recently, Motta has been lining Juventus up in a 4-2-3-1 formation – and with this in mind, Rashford might have the best chance of playing where he wants to.
If you were to drop Rashford into the Juventus squad today, he would most immediately be required as a centre-forward, since both Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik are currently injured. But neither of those setbacks are serious.
Therefore, Rashford would have a solid chance of competing for a place on the left wing. As things stand, Motta can mainly call upon Kenan Yildiz and Samuel Mbangula there.
But Yildiz is a versatile attacking midfielder who can play on the right wing or number 10 position instead, while Mbangula is only in his early twenties.

In theory, Juventus could start with Vlahovic up front, Rashford on the left, Teun Koopmeiners in the attacking midfield role and Yildiz on the right, with Mbangula, Timothy Weah, Nico Gonzalez and Francisco Conceicao – son of Milan boss Sergio – as rotation options along with striker deputy Milik.
But Vlahovic hasn’t fully convinced the Juventus faithful that he will become the world-class striker he has the potential to be, while Koopmeiners hasn’t hit the ground running, so it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine Rashford featuring more centrally either.
All in all, Rashford has a lot to weigh up and will have to be sure of his suitors’ plans for him before making any major decision about his future.
But the 27-year-old seems to still have a chance of fitting in at a top-level club as he aims to prove his doubters wrong away from Man Utd.