Michael Carrick is delighted with the form of Marcus Rashford who has returned to Manchester United.
Rashford was loaned to Barcelona last season and contributed 25 goals (14 goals, 11 assists) in 49 appearances last season, helping Barcelona win the La Liga championship.
Barca opted not to sign Rashford permanently, instead bringing in his England team-mate Anthony Gordon who had made a good start in Spain.
However, Rashford has firmly returned to Manchester United and has been awarded the number nine jersey this season.
He started against Everton on Sunday and provided a real threat in the 2-2 draw, successfully completing three of his five carries and winning six of nine duels.
Carrick is excited for Rashford.
“Very happy with him in a lot of ways,” Carrick said ahead of United’s home game against neighbors Manchester City.
“He’s a real threat [against Everton]unfortunate not to have more success, but he is a real threat.
“I don’t know what else to say, except it’s great to have him. We have good options, so trying to keep everyone fresh.”
I am very grateful to everyone in Barcelona for making my stay here a positive and unforgettable experience. I enjoyed every moment and will have many special memories.
I wish the club and all its supporters all the best and success in the season ahead.— Sir (@MarcusRashford) July 30, 2026
Carrick will be looking for another strong performance from Rashford on Sunday. He has a good record against Manchester City, contributing 7 goals in 22 derbies.
With the 2-0 win in January last season, Carrick became the third United manager to win both of their first two league games against Manchester City, following Albut in 1895 and John Bentley in 1913.
“We can’t assume. We won last year but we’re not going to do the same thing,” Carrick said.
“I feel like we’re improving all the time and that helps us, we know it’s an important game and it’s going to take a lot of hard work. We’re looking forward to this game, we only have a short period of time to recover and prepare, but we’re going to make the most of it.”
“They are a very good team with good results. They have players to rotate and that’s where they are. We know we have to put in a very good performance to get the results we want.”
However, Carrick has come under scrutiny following United’s poor start to the Premier League campaign. They have taken just four points from their first three games against Hull City, Ipswich Town and Everton.
Asked about his future, Carrick said: “I think I said it very early on, all the decisions were we were going to be here for a while. I didn’t know how long that was going to be, I still don’t know.”
“We’ve been planning for the future and what we want it to look like from day one.”