Marcus Rashford has made clear his desire to spend his entire career at Manchester United – but there are two scenarios which could foil his plans.
Rashford, 23, joined the Red Devils at the tender age of seven and progressed through the academy ranks before making his senior debut in February 2016.
The forward has gone on to make 271 appearances for his boyhood side, scoring 88 goals and winning the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.
Rashford hopes to retire as a United player just like the one-club men of old, who include Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.
(Image: Manchester United FC via Getty)
But he admits either slipping down the pecking order or his style of play falling out of favour could put paid to his hopes.
Quizzed on whether it is his aim to spend all of his playing days at Old Trafford, Rashford told United’s official website: “I think of course I’d like to but I think in football nowadays, things happen unexpectedly.
“You can never be 100 per cent sure – one, you’re going to be replaced and the club might want to sign somebody else, or maybe the style doesn’t suit you anymore.
“Maybe the style of football has changed so there are many things that can change throughout the duration of 10-15 years.
“For me, I hope to be able to play at this club for as long as I possibly can and retire where I started.”
Rashford is currently based at the England camp having come off the bench in the 1-0 Euro 2020 victory over Croatia on Sunday.
He earned his place in Gareth Southgate’s squad with another excellent season at club level, scoring 21 goals and laying on 12 assists as United finished second in the Premier League.
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Rashford is targeting more goal involvements in the seasons to come, saying: “I want to get even better at things that make me score goals and assist things, to keep on improving and to give the team more opportunities of winning games.
“It can be positioning, runs, different types of runs, movement in the box and then finishing techniques. So there are a wide range of things I try to improve on and will do that throughout my whole career.”
He added: “I feel privileged to wear this shirt that has been worn by so many great players in United’s history. You know, for me, I don’t feel the pressure.
“It’s just about carrying on following in people’s footsteps and people’s journeys really. But I’m my own player.
“I do things my way. I’m going to improve in my own way, which is obviously slightly different to the other players, they all have different qualities and reached different heights in their careers. Hopefully, I can be here long enough to do that myself as well.”
