Marcus Rashford to Barcelona 'decision' made as striker's exit confirmed

Michael Carrick has enjoyed a perfect start to this spell as Manchester United boss and his squad are gearing up to face Fulham at Old Trafford

Michael Carrick is eyeing up a third win in as many games during his second spell as Manchester United interim manager. His side are preparing to face Fulham at Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim's exit after 14 months at the helm at United was announced in January. On the back of Darren Fletcher's temporary spell, Carrick was brought in once again to man the ship, this time until the season's end.

But with wins against Manchester City and Arsenal already under his belt, Carrick is bolstering his chances of becoming Amorim's permanent successor by the match. His squad host Fulham in the Premier League next and Marco Silva's side will be no pushovers.

In his short time in charge, Carrick has already brought about some changes and new reports suggest he has made a decision about Marcus Rashford, who was exiled under Amorim and is currently on loan at Barcelona. Mirror Football brings you the latest updates from Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford 'decision' made

Despite looking like he would excel under Amorim, boyhood United star Rashford quickly fell out of favour under the Portuguese manager. He joined Aston Villa on loan last year before a summer loan move to Barcelona.

There, he has enjoyed his football, playing often as a valuable squad player and bagging a handful of goals under Hansi Flick. Rumours inevitably began to emerge regarding a permanent transfer.

The Catalan giants hold a non-mandatory purchase option to buy Rashford for £26million when the season ends, but a new report from The Telegraph claims that Carrick wishes to bring him back to Manchester.

The report states that if Carrick is named permanent boss, he would attempt to welcome Rashford back into the United fold, where the striker played alongside him during the twilight of his career.

However, the same report suggests that Rashford would prefer to stay in Spain, where he is playing a critical role in the club's La Liga and Champions League tilts.

Striker waves Old Trafford goodbye

On the topic of permanent transfers, a United academy youngster has departed. Joe Hugill has left the club for Scottish outfit Kilmarnock on a permanent deal.

The former Newcastle and Sunderland youth striker joined United in 2020 and immediately impressed for the academy. In 2023, he joined Altrincham on loan. Hugill's first temporary move was followed by four more, as he played for Burton Albion, Wigan, Carlisle United and Barnet in the years to follow before signing for Kilmarnock this week on an 18-month contract.

The 22-year-old took to social media platform Instagram with a heartfelt goodbye. He wrote: "Thank you to everyone at Manchester United for the past 6 years.

"The players, the staff, the fans and everyone connected to the club who have made me love every minute along the way. I will always be beyond grateful for my time here and the memories will live with me forever."