Marcus Rashford responds as Man Utd clinch Champions League place without him

Marcus Rashford may be playing for Barcelona at this moment, but the Manchester United academy graduate still has the Red Devils in his mind

Marcus Rashford has taken to social media to congratulate Manchester United after his former club sealed their spot in next season's Champions League. Michael Carrick's men edged past Liverpool 3-2 on Sunday to guarantee the Red Devils' return to European football's premier competition.

United have not featured in the Champions League since Erik ten Hag's second season in charge, and have also missed out on its new controversial restructure. However, the victory over their fierce rivals was enough to secure a top-five finish.

Rashford, meanwhile, is closing in on his first league title as a player at Barcelona. Nevertheless, he made it clear his childhood club are still within his thoughts.

After a member of United's social media team posted a video marking the club's Champions League return, Rashford re-shared it on X - formerly Twitter - and wrote "Congratulations" alongside a red love heart emoji. The gesture highlighted how the England international continues to keep a close eye on his former club and team-mates.

As for his long-term future at Old Trafford, considerable uncertainty still remains. It's understood Rashford's preference is to stay at the Camp Nou, yet numerous reports have also suggested Barcelona are unwilling to shell out the £26million clause needed to sign him outright.

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United will not settle for a reduced fee for Rashford, while Sky Germany have also claimed the Spanish giants would prefer to take him on loan for a further season. Rashford has put together a strong campaign in Catalunya.

Across all competitions, he has contributed 13 goals and 14 assists in 46 appearances; an impressive return given that many of his outings have come as a substitute. In April, Barca head coach Hansi Flick expressed his delight with Rashford's displays, saying: "I'm very happy with Marcus.

"He has shown his quality and he scored an important goal. I can't say anything about his future, we have to focus on the matches until the end of the season."

Yet in the same month, Carrick appeared to leave the door ajar for Rashford, should he ever choose to head back to the club. The former United midfielder said: "There's decisions to be made on certain things, and obviously Marcus is in that situation.

"But at this point in time, nothing's been decided. It will be, because it has to be at a certain point, but at this stage, there's nothing to say."

At Barcelona, Rashford and his colleagues are just one victory away from clinching the La Liga title. With four fixtures remaining, they sit 11 points clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid.

United, meanwhile, are just one win away from securing a third-place finish come the end of the season - which would represent their highest league placing since Erik ten Hag's debut campaign in the 2021-22 campaign.