Manchester United legend Nicky Butt made his feelings clear on what must be going through Ruben Amorim’s mind after Marcus Rashford’s stunning Barcelona performance on Thursday.
Marcus Rashford lost his place in the Manchester United starting XI under Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim, who arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting CP last November.
The 27-year-old England international left the Premier League club last season and Rashford spent the second half of the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Aston Villa.
Rashford returned to United in the summer after his loan deal expired with Aston Villa in June, with his former side choosing not to make his move permanent.
The former Villa forward’s time at the Red Devils was short-lived in the summer after Barcelona signed Rashford from United in July in a season-long loan deal.
Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesNicky Butt speaks out on Ruben Amorim and Marcus Rashford after the Man Utd loanee’s display for Barcelona in the Champions League
Marcus Rashford stole the show for Barcelona on Thursday evening, with the Manchester United ace playing a starring role in the Champions League.
The Three Lions ace started against Newcastle at St James’ Park and Rashford netted a sublime brace for Barcelona in the second half of the 2-1 win.
Rashford broke the deadlock for Barcelona with a superb header before the United star drilled in a stunning long-range strike against Newcastle to complete his brace.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, Nicky Butt was asked what United manager Ruben Amorim must now be “thinking” about letting Rashford leave the club.
“Yeah, I think I would be thinking, ‘What have I done? I’ve let that go.’ And Man United are obviously struggling,” he said.
“But players need to move on if it’s not going well because you need to be loved and Marcus definitely needs an arm around him and needs to be loved. And when he is, he shows what he can do tonight.”
Marcus Rashford sets out a clear-cut objective with Barcelona after the 2-1 Champions League result against Newcastle
Rashford agreed to take a pay cut to complete a dream move to the Camp Nou this summer, with Barcelona agreeing to cover the England star’s hefty United wages.
The former Aston Villa player admitted that Barcelona’s ambition is to lift the Champions League trophy in the 2025-26 campaign under manager Hansi Flick.
“It’s only to win it,” Rashford told TNT Sports, as per BBC Sport.
“Nothing else is on our minds. We know how tough the competition is.”
Barcelona have the option to make Rashford’s transfer to the Camp Nou permanent in 2026, with United including a buy clause of £30.3m for the England international.