Ince Urges Manchester United to Keep Rashford for Carrick's Rebuild
Paul Ince has thrown his weight firmly behind Marcus Rashford, urging Manchester United to abandon plans to move the forward on and instead make him central to Michael Carrick’s rebuild at Old Trafford.
United are actively exploring options to offload Rashford this summer after his loan spell at Barcelona came to an end. The Catalan club, impressed but ultimately unconvinced, chose not to trigger a permanent deal and instead invested in Anthony Gordon. For Rashford, who had rediscovered rhythm and confidence in Spain, the decision cut deep.
Ince thinks United are on the verge of a mistake.
He sees the solution not in a transfer, but in a manager.
“I just think Michael Carrick can get the best out of him, I really, really do,” the former United midfielder told Oddschecker. “I think if you just put your arm around Rashford then you’re going to see a very, very good player. Fingers crossed that’s the case. But there’s one thing for sure, he is a very, very talented player and if he’s happy, he will perform for you.”
That is the crux of Ince’s argument: man-management, not market moves. In his eyes, Carrick has exactly the temperament and tactical clarity to revive a career that has veered between electric and exasperating.
Barcelona high, transfer low
Rashford’s time at Barcelona was no soft exile. He scored regularly, drifted across the frontline, and looked liberated in a system that allowed him to attack space from either flank. The player who had often appeared burdened in Manchester suddenly carried himself with a lighter stride.
“I feel for Rashford, I really do, because I think he’s a fantastic player,” Ince said. “He can play off the left and he can play off the right. I’m not sure if many people watched him last year playing for Barcelona but he was scoring goals, he was enjoying himself, and he looked a completely different player.
“Then when you think Barcelona are going to sign him they get Anthony Gordon and it kills Rashford. You saw in the World Cup the magic he can bring, he’s got that talent.”
That twist – expectation of a permanent move followed by the club pivoting to Gordon – has left Rashford in limbo. Too good to ignore, too unsettled to simply slot back in without a plan.
Carrick’s challenge
Carrick has already shown he can steady and then elevate United. Last season he steered them to third place in the Premier League, hauling the club back into the Champions League and restoring a degree of order after years of volatility.
Ince is convinced that same calm authority can unlock Rashford again at his boyhood club. The message is simple: support him, trust him, and build the environment he needs.
The forward’s immediate future, though, hangs in the balance. United continue to weigh offers and scenarios as the window ticks on, torn between cashing in and gambling on a revival under a manager who knows the club’s fabric as well as anyone.
On 22 August, United open their 2026-27 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford against newly-promoted Hull City. By then, the picture will be clearer.
The question is whether Rashford will be walking out of that tunnel in red, with Carrick’s arm around his shoulder and a fresh chapter in front of him, or watching the start of United’s new era from somewhere else entirely.
