Real three reasons Marcus Rashford is leaving Man Utd revealed, as Barcelona transfer finally takes shape

Three brutal reasons why Marcus Rashford is finished at Manchester United have been detailed, while a report claims a transfer to Barcelona has been unlocked.

Rashford, 27, has been on the books at Man Utd since 2005. Upon signing a bumper new contract that nets the forward £325,000-a-week in the summer of 2023, it looked like Rashford’s career could come and go as a one-club man.

However, fast forward to the present day and it would be a monumental shock is Rashford is still at Old Trafford when the February 3 transfer deadline passes.

Rashford has the green light to leave on the back of being excluded from 11 consecutive matchday squads by Ruben Amorim.

Many theories have been put forward as to what’s gone wrong for Rashford at his boyhood club. Those debates can now be put to rest, with Amorim as well as a trusted journalist Henry Winter naming the three brutal reasons why Rashford’s time at Old Trafford is up.

Firstly, Henry Winter pointed to Rashford’s positional inflexibility along with the finances involved in keeping Rashford around.

“Tactically, he doesn’t fit into the template that Ruben Amorim has in 3-4-2-1,” Winter said while appearing on Sky Sports’ Transfer Show.

“Also for financial reasons, Rashford is on a lot of money and for Amorim to invest in the squad and for the type of players he wants to fit the 3-4-2-1, they need to move some players out.”

Amorim prefers the two players behind the striker to be more technical-minded No 10-style players, such as Bruno Fernandes.

Rashford as an out-and-out winger who is at his best when receiving the ball out wide and driving in-field simply does not mesh well with the United manager’s outlook on the game.

Regarding financials, few would argue Rashford has justified his lofty £325,000-a-week wages since signing his extension 18 months ago.

And as a homegrown player, the proceeds from his eventual sale will be logged as ‘pure profit’ on the books. Those types of deals greatly enhance a club’s spending power and if there’s one certainty at Man Utd right now it’s that a lot of expensive new signings are required.

The third reason behind Rashford’s impending exit was ruthlessly laid out by Amorim himself after the 1-0 victory over Fulham on Sunday. In Amorim’s eyes, Rashford is a poor trainer and lacks commitment to the cause.

“It is always the same reason,” Amorim replied when probed for an update on Rashford’s continued absences from the squad.

When pushed on precisely what that reason is, Amorim stated: “The reason is the training. The reason is what I think a footballer should do in training [and] in life. If things do not change, I will not change.

“It is the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum and do the right things, we can use every player.

“And you can see today on the bench, we missed a bit of pace to go, to change the game. I will put [Jorge] Vital [goalkeeping coach, on the pitch] before I put a player that does not give the maximum. I will not change in that department.”

Marcus Rashford heading to Barcelona?

Man Utd are open to offloading Rashford via the loan route. A permanent sale is preferred, though there is an acceptance it will be virtually impossible to secure a sale for the roughly £50m Man Utd value Rashford at in the January window.

What’s more, what was once a congested list of suitors has dwindled in recent weeks.

Juventus’ interest came and went after signing Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG instead. AC Milan were another to hold face-to-face meetings with Rashford’s camp, though they only have one slot available in their squad for a UK player.

And with Manchester City’s Kyle Walker completing a six-month loan switch to the San Siro, Milan cannot sign Rashford too – unless they offload a UK player in the coming days, such as Fikayo Tomori, for example.

Besiktas have been linked, though those rumours may have more to do with the fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is managing the Turkish side right now.

TEAMtalk understands West Ham’s interest in Rashford is growing. Whether United would accept a move to a domestic rival remains to be seen.

All of the above might not matter for Rashford and Man Utd given the player’s preference is signing for Barcelona.

And according to an update from Sport on Monday, Barcelona have cleared the path for Rashford’s arrival by signing off on Unai Hernandez’s sale to Al-Ittihad.

Barca must move a player on before bringing Rashford in and 20-year-old Hernandez looks to be that player.

His sale, expected to raise around €5m (£4.2m, $5.1m), will give Barcelona the chance to ‘unlock’ the capture of Rashford, having already agreed to meet 50 percent of his wages on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Latest Man Utd news – New Dorgu bid imminent, Garnacho wants Napoli

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has revealed Man Utd’s third bid for Patrick Dorgu will be lodged in the next 24-48 hours.

Lecce are sticking to their €40m price tag, though there is scope for United to meet that valuation with the aid of add-ons. Man Utd have already agreed personal terms with Dorgu.

Elsewhere, Sky Sports claim Alejandro Garnacho is now giving priority to signing with Napoli – not Chelsea – if he leaves Old Trafford this window.

Napoli are primed to re-engage in talks with Man Utd and the club’s plan of action has been revealed.

QUIZ: Think you know Marcus Rashford? ⬇️