It's looking ever more likely that Marcus Rashford will be a Manchester United player again this season, the 28-year-old having said his goodbyes to Barcelona following a more than respectable year on loan in Catalonia.

It must certainly sting for the Englishman that, despite chalking up 28 goals and assists in Hansi Flick's side across 2025/26, the LaLiga champions have decided to invest £69m in Three Lions colleague, Anthony Gordon, instead, ending Rashford's dream stay at Camp Nou.

A £40m release clause that was available to clubs, excluding Liverpool and Manchester City, has also now expired, with the buzzword that of 'reintegration', following Michael Carrick's appointment on a permanent basis.

For some, it would be an unwanted homecoming after 18 months of exile for the academy graduate, but let's try to look on the bright side, shall we?

The positives of Rashford's return to Man Utd

An exit doesn't always have to mean the end of the road for a United player, just look to the case of Mark Hughes, the Welshman also leaving for Barcelona in 1986, prior to returning in 1988 to emerge as a key figure again under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The difference, of course, is that Hughes was a beloved, cult figure at Old Trafford, whereas Rashford's relationship with supporters had begun to sour prior to his fallout with Ruben Amorim, regularly jeered due to his perceived lack of work ethic down that left flank.

And yet, if fit and firing, 'Rashy' could look like the cliched 'new signing' for Carrick and co, with there arguably having not been a bigger success story in terms of forward players at United over the last decade or so.

136 goals and counting for the club makes for stellar reading for the former teen wonderkid, with Rashford's high point undoubtedly coming in 2022/23, as he scored 30 goals in all competitions under Erik ten Hag's watch.

When in confident mood, as he was that season, there are few better at Premier League level, with even his time out on loan proving rather fruitful.

At Aston Villa, for instance, he scored and assisted ten goals in 17 games, memorably putting in a stunning display in the Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain at Villa Park.

For Barca, meanwhile, Rashford chalked up 15 goals and assisted in LaLiga, while notably scoring and assisting eight goals in Europe, including a breathtaking brace away at St James' Park.

If used correctly, he'd certainly strengthen Carrick's forward line, provided he has the right players around him.

How Man Utd could make the perfect signing for Rashford

With Rashford back in the building, United's priorities might have changed, particularly after also plucking teen sensation, Tynan Thompson, from rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

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The Red Devils are now well-stocked in that left-wing berth, and with leading target Crysencio Summerville heading to Saudi Arabia instead, INEOS may look to strengthen elsewhere in the squad.

Indeed, the suggestion is that the Old Trafford are very much keen on signing Newcastle United's Lewis Hall, with talkSPORT's Alex Crook - speaking on the site's YouTube channel - revealing that an exit for the Englishman now appears "more likely" following Eddie Howe's departure.

Sky Sports' Keith Downie has also corroborated United's interest, while floating a figure of around £60m with regard to what it might take to sign the 21-year-old.

Now, that is a steep figure for a left-back, but as already explored, the former Chelsea starlet could also be an option in central midfield, killing two birds with one stone in that sense.

If he is to be the direct understudy or successor to Luke Shaw at full-back, however, that should be music to the ears of Rashford, the latter man often at his best when supported by a flying left-back.

Indeed, there is a direct correlation between the seasons in which Shaw has featured most heavily and the seasons in which Rashford has been most fruitful, with the polarising forward often suffering when his compatriot was sidelined with injury.

Excluding 2025/26, when Shaw started every game, his three best campaigns for United in terms of Premier League minutes recorded came in 2020/21, 2018/19 and 2022/23. Rashford scored 11, ten and 17 league goals in those years, respectively. In 2019/20, the only other season Rashford that has broken double figures (17), was Shaw's fourth-best year in terms of minutes played.

That link in terms of form can surely be no coincidence, ensuring that bringing young Hall into the mix should represent the perfect way for Rashford to find his feet again.

While Shaw was an ever-present last term, the 30-year-old is no longer the flying full-back he once was, having registered just one assist, created only one 'big chance' and completed just 0.3 of his attempted dribbles in 2025/26.

The sight of the ex-Southampton man bombing forward has become a rare one, while for Hall, he so often bursts forward from deep, ending last season with one assist, five 'big chances' created and an average of 1.2 successful dribbles per game.

A player who always seeks to underlap or overlap, the Cobham academy product notably completed seven of his eight attempted dribbles in a sparkling performance against United back in December, showcasing why any winger would surely relish the chance to work in tandem with him.

Having that type of energy and exuberance in support of Rashford can only be good news for the returnee, with this homecoming only like to pay off if Carrick's builds the right team around his former teammate.