Marcus Rashford told 'bigger players have left Man Utd' after slamming problems at club

Nicky Butt believes Marcus Rashford's "ship has sailed" at Manchester United , claiming that bigger players have left the club before him. Rashford, 27, secured a season-long loan move to Barcelona this summer after being considered surplus to requirements by Ruben Amorim .

The forward fell from grace under the Portuguese tactician shortly after his arrival last November, moving to Aston Villa on loan in February. Upon his return this summer, Rashford appeared to have no prospects at Old Trafford and consequently moved to Barcelona on loan with an option for a £20million permanent transfer.

Numerous supporters will question whether the Red Devils' academy product will return to his childhood club, but Butt believes he has no role with United moving forward. Speaking to the MEN via BetMGM , the 50-year-old said: "Yeah, I think that ship's sailed.

"I think over the last two or three seasons he's shown that he needs to move football clubs, and I think that comes. A lot of things have been said about certain behaviours and whatever he's been doing, but not everyone's built to stay at a football club all their lives.

"It's very few and far between, one-club players within the whole of the Premier League , and it gets on my nerves a little bit. Everyone goes, 'Oh, he wants to leave Man United,' well Man United haven't been performing great. Man United are not winning anything at the minute, they're slipping down the tables of the biggest clubs in the world .

"My history loves the football club, but nobody has to stay at a football club forever. And yeah, he didn't behave right at certain times, Marcus, we all get that, but he's a phenomenal footballer, and I think he went to Villa, did well, and I think he's now joined a massive football club in Barcelona, and I think it'll work out for him.

"Man United's part of his history, he'll always love the football club, he's been there since he was seven years of age, I know his family love the football club as well, but life moves on. Big players leave football clubs.

"Bigger players than Marcus have left Man United, and bigger players will leave the football club in the future as well, and hopefully he'll put Barcelona into Marcus Rashford's history as well, with the shining light on it, and he'll look back on what a great move it's been."

Discussing how he expects Rashford to perform at Camp Nou, despite fierce competition from the likes of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal for his spot, Butt added: "I've just got a sneaky feeling he's just going to blow it away, I really do. Because I've known him since he was seven, eight, nine, he's got such natural ability.

"And I think when Marcus came onto the scene, a young player, he didn't have any fears, he didn't have anything going on in his head. I remember him making his England debut, he just got the ball and faced up the full-back and runs at them, and his best position is off the left, and he can play up front off the left, and he had no fear, he was doing it all the time.

"And then he got into the first team and became the star. He was coming and he had loads of hype around him with all the good stuff he was doing off the pitch as well. And I think Marcus was then thinking too much about his game, and I think that's what's killed him. But now going to Barcelona, I've just got a funny feeling that he'll do really well."

Rashford aired his views on United's struggles following his exit. He insisted that the Red Devils haven't properly evolved since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, despite bringing in a string of high-profile managers.

Chatting to Gary Lineker and Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football , Rashford said: "At times I feel like United has been...we're hungry to win, so we will always try to adapt and sign players that fit this system, but it's reactionary. If your directions are always changing, you can't expect to win the league.

"You might win some cup tournaments, but it's because you have a good coach, good players, and you have match winners in your team, you're not there by accident. This is what some people forget. Yeah we have been way lower than what people deem United to be, but if you take a step back, which I've been able to do, especially over the last six months, what do you expect?

"People say we have been in a transition for years. To be in a transition you need to start a transition. It's like the actual transition has not started yet."

Since his move to Barcelona, Rashford has featured in all three of the Catalan giants' La Liga fixtures this campaign. He appeared as a substitute in a 3-0 triumph against Mallorca and a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano , as well as earning a starting berth in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Levante.

The England international will now be hoping to get the nod for Barca's next fixture against Valencia at the Camp Nou on Sunday.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.