The England international’s relationship with Amorim soured shortly after the Portuguese coach arrived at Old Trafford in November, making it increasingly clear that Rashford’s time with United was coming to an end. ..Continue Reading
Though he spent a brief loan spell at Aston Villa earlier this year, Rashford ultimately sealed a high-profile move to Barcelona last month — a transfer many have described as a dream opportunity.
Since joining the La Liga champions, Rashford has already made several appearances, and the reaction from both United and Barça supporters has been largely positive.
However, his recent remarks about his former club have stirred controversy among fans in Manchester.
Upon completing his move, Rashford became the first English player to represent Barcelona in over two decades, following in the footsteps of Gary Lineker.
The former striker sat down with Rashford for an interview on The Rest is Football podcast, where the winger didn’t hold back.
Rashford criticized United’s current trajectory, claiming the club has strayed from the values and structure once instilled by Sir Alex Ferguson.
He lamented the lack of stability and direction, stating that repeated managerial failures have left the team adrift — in what he described as “no man’s land.”
His comments have sparked debate, with some viewing them as honest reflection, while others see them as a harsh dig at the club that shaped his early career.
Either way, Rashford’s move to Spain has clearly given him a new platform — and he’s not afraid to speak his mind.
“Show me a successful team that just adapts,” Rashford asked.
“When Ferguson was in charge, not only were there principles for the first team but they were for the whole academy.
“So you could pick players from 15 years and they’d all understand the principles of playing the Manchester United way.
“Any team that has been successful over a period of time has principles that mean that any coach or player that comes in has to align to or add to the principles.
“At times, United were hungry to win but it was reactionary. If your direction is always changing you can’t expect to win the league.”
But Rashford didn’t stop there. He conceded that his time away from United during his loan spell at Villa allowed him to see that the transition needed to fix the club’s issues has not yet began, despite Amorim being in charge for almost 10 months.
“This is what people forget,’ he added. “We have been way below where we deem United to be but if you take a step back, which I’ve been able to do, especially over these last six months, what do you expect?
“People say that we’ve been in a transition for years but to be in a transition you have to start it. The actual transition hasn’t started yet.
“When Liverpool went through this, they got [Jurgen] Klopp and stuck with him. They didn’t win in the beginning. People only remember his final few years when he was competing with City and winning the biggest trophies.
“To start a transition you have to make a plan and stick to it.”
He added: “I feel like we’ve had that many different managers and different ideas and different strategies in order to win … you end up in the middle of – you end up in no man’s land.”
As part of the deal that saw him join Barcelona, the Spanish team have the option to make the move permanent at the end of the 2025/26 campaign for a reported fee of £30.3million.
After Rashford’s comments about his former club, it is hard to see how there is any way back for him at United following his loan spell, perhaps increasing the possibility that he will stay at Barcelona permanently.
