David Ornstein confirms Manchester United open to selling Marcus Rashford this summer

David Ornstein confirms Manchester United open to selling Marcus Rashford this summer

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first summer as Manchester United owner is shaping up to be a monumental one.

 

A lack of Champions League football would have necessitated ruthless decisions anyhow, but what the extent of that ruthlessness was going to be is becoming clearer.

 

David Ornstein reports that United are now open to selling Marcus Rashford in the summer window only a year after giving him a new contract.

 

Rashford signed a new contract last summer after a career year in Erik ten Hag’s first season which nets him about £325k/week.

 

Unfortunately, his performances fell off a cliff after he secured a future for himself and those heights have never been reached again.

 

Ornstein reports that if there are credible offers for the player and Rashford also tells them he is open to moving, they will be considered.

 

This is a softening of stance from earlier reports when Ten Hag backed Rashford and recounted his ability to score in his first season with him.

 

Rashford being removed from the list of “untouchables” despite signing a new deal recently speaks volumes about the decision-making at United.

 

The older regime gave him a king’s ransom despite not showing anything to prove he could sustain those performance levels, a running theme with the Glazers.

 

That same contract is likely to prove to be hard to shift now although in Rashford’s case, at least, clubs will look at his age (26) and past performances and know there is a player to be unlocked there.

 

 

Even from the player’s point of view, he could be open to leaving as his recent tweets clearly show he is struggling with the intense scrutiny and criticism of his displays.

 

United need to sell to buy in the summer to avoid falling foul of Profit and Sustainability rules and selling Rashford would instantly catapult them into the green due to his huge wages and academy product status.

 

 

 

What Manchester United finishing sixth will mean for Europa League qualification.

 

Man United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are all but over after a draw against Burnley in the Premier League this weekend

 

Manchester United are fighting to qualify for the Europa League this season after being held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Reds looked to be on their way towards a much-needed victory this weekend when Antony latched on to a loose pass to open the scoring at Old Trafford. However, a late penalty conceded by Andre Onana was converted by Zeki Amdouni to ensure the points were shared.

 

The result means that United can no longer catch fourth-placed Aston Villa this season after their 2-2 draw with Chelsea. Erik ten Hag’s men can still finish fifth but it is looking unlikely that will be enough to enter the Champions League.

 

UEFA is expanding the elite European competition next season and two of the extra places will be awarded to the teams who are ranked first and second in the coefficient standings. Italy has already secured one of the top spots, while Germany is almost guaranteed to bag the other ahead of England, who only have Villa left competing in Europe.

 

This means the Premier League’s European qualification spots will be decided in the same way they were last season. The top four in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League, fifth will automatically enter the Europa League with sixth set to join them or drop into the Europa Conference League.

 

For sixth place to be a Europa League spot, it would need the FA Cup winners to have not qualified for Europe through their league position. Of course, the FA Cup final shall be contested by United and fierce rivals Manchester City.

 

Therefore, if City are victorious at Wembley Stadium, sixth place will qualify for the Europa League. However, if United beat the Blues, they will qualify for the Europa League and sixth place will become the Europa Conference League spot.

 

Should United finish sixth and win the FA Cup, the Europa Conference League spot shall drop to seventh. If they finish below sixth and win the FA Cup then sixth shall be handed a spot in the Europa Conference League while seventh misses out on Europe entirely.