Marcus Rashford’s future at Manchester United has been thrown up in the air after Barcelona struck a deal to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United.
The Spanish giants have swooped to sign the Magpies forward in a £70m deal to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, and he plays in the same position as the Red Devils loanee.
Rashford spent the 2025/26 campaign on loan at the Camp Nou from United and produced an eye-catching 14 goals and 11 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions.
Barcelona have seemingly opted to go with a younger profile for their attack, though, as Gordon is three years younger and may have more time on his side to be effective for Hansi Flick’s side in the long run.
Sky Sports reported that the Spanish giants could still seek another deal for Rashford, but it now remains to be seen whether or not they will go through with another move.
Man United eyeing move for £115m Premier League forward
Irrespective of what happens with the Carrington graduate, Manchester United are already looking at possible targets to improve Michael Carrick‘s squad for the 2026/27 campaign.
The club are reportedly looking at a Premier League talent who would arrive at Old Trafford as an even better forward than both Gordon and Rashford on the left flank.
According to TEAMtalk, Manchester United may have to pay a club-record fee of up to £115m to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Paul Pogba £89m move from Juventus in 2016 is the club’s current record signing, which means that a deal for the England international looks set to trump the Frenchman’s switch.
Journalist Ben Jacobs recently named the Red Devils alongside Premier League champions Arsenal as one of the teams eyeing up a swoop to sign the attacker.
It now remains to be seen whether or not INEOS are prepared to pay the club-record fee that it will take to bring the former Manchester City academy prospect to Old Trafford.
Why Rogers is even better than Rashford and Gordon
United could get the best of England’s left wing options by allowing Rashford to join Barcelona for a second time to go and link up with Gordon, whilst signing Rogers as his ‘replacement’ in the squad.
During his time in LaLiga, the United winger racked up eight goals and eight ‘big chances’ created in 32 matches for the Spanish side, whilst Gordon racked up six goals and five ‘big chances’ created for Newcastle.
Rogers outperformed both players with his impressive performances for Villa, playing on the left and through the middle as a number ten, as he scored more goals and created more ‘big chances’ than both of them.
|
25/26 PL |
Gordon |
Rogers |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
26 |
37 |
|
xG |
8.83 |
6.78 |
|
Goals |
6 |
10 |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
13 |
|
xA |
3.37 |
4.30 |
|
Assists |
2 |
6 |
The 23-year-old attacker is two years younger than Gordon and racked up four more goals and eight more ‘big chances’ created in the Premier League than him this season, which suggests that he is more effective at being a match-winner for his side.
Rogers also caught the eye on the European stage, with three goals and five assists in 15 Europa League games, scoring a goal and providing an assist in the final against Freiburg earlier this month.
He also delivered 14 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, including eight goals and ten assists in the league, in the 2024/25 campaign for the Villans, which shows that his current form is not just a flash in the pan.
The Villa sensation has all the makings of being a future icon at Old Trafford because he is a young, homegrown, talent who has proven his quality in the Premier League and in Europe, and is even better than both Rashford and Gordon.
Instead of taking a gamble on a player who has no prior experience in England, the Red Devils could pay the money required to bring in proven quality to bolster Carrick’s team to build a team that is capable of challenging for the title next season.
Rogers is a superstar in the making and United need to push to ensure that he does not end up at one of their rivals, such as Arsenal, because he could be a brilliant addition to Carrick’s team on the flank, due to his exceptional form for Villa.
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