Marcus Rashford benched as Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos make Man Utd debuts against Hull City

Michael Carrick handed competitive debuts to new signings Tielemans and Santos as United travelled to Hull in the Premier League on Saturday. Rashford was named among the substitutes alongside established starters Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez. The 28-year-old forward has officially taken the No.9 shirt submitted to the Premier League, with Matheus Cunha now occupying his former No.10 jersey.

While questions remain over Rashford's long-term future ahead of the transfer deadline, Carrick was quick to praise his application since returning to the group.

Addressing the trajectory of the 28-year-old's career last week, Carrick said: "He's a very good player, and I think if you're going to have a career over 10 or 15 years, there's going to be times when things go in a direction and maybe a different direction.

"I think there are ups and downs, and that doesn't judge you as a one-off kind of judgment. It's what happens over time, and now we're in a positive place as a group, and Marcus can offer us so much. He has done, and he can do again, so in that respect, it's quite exciting."

Rashford inherits the iconic shirt previously worn by Sir Bobby Charlton, Andy Cole, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic after Hojlund completed a permanent switch to Napoli.

Underlining the forward's integration into the squad, Carrick added: "He's our player. He arrived back with Kobbie [Mainoo], and Lisandro [Martinez] came the day after, and he's part of the group like anybody else. He came in, he's trained really well.

"I've known him a long time, like I've known some of the others a long time, so I don't treat him any different to anybody else, but it's been good to have him around the group again this week. So I'm really positive with that."

United are looking to take all three points and build early-season momentum with their revamped midfield setup. Rashford's future, with two years left on his £325,000-a-week deal, will stay under the microscope right up until the deadline. Any cameo off the bench against Hull could provide an early hint as to where he truly fits into Carrick's plans this term.