Michael Carrick wants Marcus Rashford BACK at Man Utd despite exiled attacker 'rediscovering his smile' at Barcelona

Rashford swapped United for Barcelona on loan for the season, and so far, he has impressed at the Blaugrana. To date, he has scored nine goals, five of which have been in the Champions League, and bagged nine assists in 31 appearances. The 28-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by ex-United boss Amorim at Old Trafford, and now it seems he is keen to make his stay at Camp Nou permanent. But whether or not they can afford his £26 million ($35.5m) buy option is another matter.

He said in December: "What I want is to stay at Barca. It's the ultimate goal, but it's not the reason I'm training hard and giving my all. The purpose is to win. Barca is a huge, fantastic club, built to win titles. I'm settling in really well at the club and in the city. From the moment I arrived, I felt very welcomed. For me, the reason I'm here is to help the team win trophies; last season was fantastic, but life moves very fast, things change, and the goal is to repeat those successes. I'm totally focused on that. Everything has been fantastic with the staff and my teammates; I have no complaints. I'm in the perfect place and environment to continue my journey as a footballer, so I'm just trying to give my best every day and help the team win. We'll see what happens next summer."

According to The Telegraph, although Carrick would like his old United team-mate Rashford back at the club next season if he is still in charge, it is 'hard to see that happening'. Indeed, Amorim previously said he would rather name his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach as a substitute than a player who doesn't give their all, in response to a question about Rashford. However, United were also keen to get his big salary off the wage bill, with his contract set to expire in 2028. Moreover, the report states he is 'happy' at Barcelona, Flick wants him permanently, and those close to the England forward say he has a 'smile back on his face'.

Indeed, Flick previously said on Rashford: "I’m very happy with Marcus Rashford. Speed, finishing, control, he has amazing quality, really."

The report adds that when Rashford was at United, he faced the lion's share of scrutiny from the media. But at Barcelona, that isn't the case. 

A source told the outlet: "The thing about Barcelona is that when something goes wrong or they lose, the inquest is not always about Marcus. That was never the case at Manchester United. There it felt like it was always on him."

Rashford is not always a regular at Barca, with his 18 starts in 31 matches evidence of that. Flick is keen to rotate his squad whenever possible, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal often starting in Barca's attack at Rashford's expense. And so far, that doesn't seem to be an issue.

Another source added: "He is not one of the main players, like Yamal, and maybe he is liking it that way. He has even gone unnoticed a little – if you can go unnoticed playing for Barcelona – and has kept his head down. The attention tends to be elsewhere."

Aside from Rashford's future, be it at United or Barcelona or elsewhere, Carrick's side will hope to build on their impressive wins over Manchester City and Arsenal in recent weeks when they host Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday in the Premier League.