'The answer' - Marcus Rashford told where he should go if he leaves Man Utd as one of Sir Alex Ferguson's trusted assistants tells him three things Ruben Amorim wants

England international Rashford has been on the Red Devils’ books since the age of seven, with a step out of their famed academy system made under Louis van Gaal in February 2016. He has gone on to take in 426 appearances for the Premier League giants, scoring 138 goals and earning a lucrative £325,000-a-week contract.

Consistency has, however, been in short supply of late – with a 30-goal campaign in 2022-23 sandwiched by seasons that delivered just five and eight efforts apiece. Things have not got any better this term, as Rashford’s attitude is called intro question, and he admits to being “ready for a new challenge”.

It remains to be seen whether United agree to sanction a sale, with Rene Meulensteen – speaking in association with Instant Casino – telling GOAL of what Rashford needs to do if he agrees to stay on under Ruben Amorim, who left him out of a 2-1 derby victory over arch-rivals Manchester City: “He does need a fresh start but the question is, is that fresh start under Amorim at Manchester United? That’s where he’s pushing him to. If you listen to Amorim’s comments, it was all about Marcus has to want it himself. He’s definitely identified something and not all is okay.

“What can he do about himself? He also has to buy into what Amorim wants. He looks at everything – how they train, how they communicate with other team-mates, are they positive or negative, what’s the body language like and after training what do they do, do they stay around to do some extra or are they straight in? He even mentioned something about the way they dress.

“I know exactly what he wants – Amorim wants no nonsense, highly committed, professional players. Everyone talks about the year Marcus scored 30 goals, but that was one season. You need to look at the broader scale because the average is under 10 goals for a forward, so that doesn’t add up. The answer is in Marcus’ court and he has to answer himself. Do I want a fresh start at Manchester United? If so, buy into Amorim and he will help to guide him through it. If not, then go to the exit door and look for something else, something abroad.”

Meulensteen, who worked in United’s academy before savouring Premier League and Champions League title triumphs alongside Ferguson, added on the Rashford future debate: “A new culture, new everything, might be the answer because when you do that, when you end up in a new environment, you have to prove yourself again. Too often now, when everyone is talking about him, the whole debate is about the commitment and the willingness to run, to track back, sprinting back. Everyone knows what a talent he is, he’s got all the attributes you want in a player – good physique, the pace, skill, goal scoring, he’s got it all. Why is everybody frustrated? Because what is coming out is not good enough.

“Amorim made a bold decision, you live and you die by those decisions. You need a bit of luck with it because if they had lost to City, people would have questioned whether it was a wise decision to leave [Alejandro] Garnacho and Rashford out because they are probably your best forwards, the most dangerous in front of goal. Now, everybody says it was a fantastic decision. This is what he needed, to get out of it what he wants. Now, Garnacho and Rashford have to come back, show a response in a positive way and if they do, great, if they don’t then we probably know what’s next.”

Rashford is under contract at Old Trafford through to the summer of 2028, but appears unlikely to see that agreement out. He has already been linked with French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, while clubs in the Saudi Pro League would have no problem matching his wages in any lucrative offers tabled from the Middle East.