Man United star Rashford seeks redemption

MARCUS Rashford is the boyhood Manchester United fan who lived his dream until a precipitous fall from grace ended his love affair with the club.

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The England winger on Wednesday joined Spanish champions Barcelona on loan in a deal that includes a purchase option, signalling a likely final exit from Old Trafford.

Rashford appears to have secured the move he hankered after but there will be no hiding place at the Catalan giants.

It was not supposed to be this way.

The 27-year-old forward appeared to have the world at his feet when he signed a new five-year contract with United worth a reported £325,000 per week in July 2023.

Fresh from scoring 30 goals in the 2022/23 season - the first time a player had hit that mark for the club since Robin van Persie a decade earlier — he appeared to be entering his prime.

Rashford’s approval rating was sky-high on and off the pitch after his role in forcing a British government U-turn over free school meals for disadvantaged children and his fights against racism and homelessness.

The Manchester-born forward even featured on the cover of British Vogue in 2020 alongside supermodel turned mental health campaigner Adwoa Aboah as one of “The Faces of Hope”.

But Rashford clashed with former manager Erik ten Hag and the current boss, Ruben Amorim, and his United career quickly unravelled.