MANCHESTER UNITED are considering sanctioning a loan deal in January for Marcus Rashford as the toxic fallout of his recent comments grow.
Insiders at Old Trafford fear the situation is fast becoming untenable.
And that the only solution may be to get the England striker “out of the picture” for a while.
United would not loan Rashford to a Premier League rival - ruling out any chance of a switch to Arsenal or Chelsea, who have both reportedly been interested in strikers to boost their firepower.
But several clubs in Spain, France and Germany are monitoring the situation and could be interested in giving Rashford an escape-route from his Utd hell.
SunSport understands the last 48 hours have caused a huge amount of unrest inside the club.
New manager Ruben Amorim spent most of his pre-match press conference against Spurs dealing with questions on Rashford.
He was then pressed on it again after the game, and is likely to be asked in the build up to United’s next game against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Amorim said: "We are better with Marcus Rashford, that is simple, and we will try different things to push Marcus to the best levels he showed in the past.
"This kind of club needs big talent and he’s a big talent, so he just needs to perform at the highest level and that is my focus. I just want to help Marcus.
"Nothing has changed. We believe in Marcus. Marcus is a player of Manchester United, so there’s no change."
It comes after Rashford sensationally revealed he was "ready for a new challenge and the next steps."
Although Amorim has said Rashford is a part of the squad and could have a future at the club, it’s widely accepted now that he will leave in a permanent deal at the end of the season.
Until then, a loan move would help cool the heat around the situation as well as giving Rashford the chance to put himself in the shop window.
Rashford and his advisors know a mega-money deal will be on offer from Saudi Arabia.
But the player isn’t thought to be interested in such a move as he still believes his best years are ahead of him.
He’s also told pals he still believes he can force his way back into the England squad, where Thomas Tuchel will soon face the task of finding a long-term replacement for ageing skipper Harry Kane.
Although a Premier League switch can’t be ruled out, those close to Rashford think he prefers the idea of a total reset by switching to a foreign club where he can look to rebuild his career.