Man Utd draw up five-man shortlist to replace Marcus Rashford amid controversial sale

Manchester United have identified five players who could replace Marcus Rashford if he were to leave the club, according to reports.

Rashford, 27, started Thursday’s 2-1 victory against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League but was withdrawn on 56 minutes, with replacement Rasmus Hojlund scoring two second-half goals to hand Ruben Amorim’s side all three points in Czechia.

Since Amorim, 39, arrived at the club in November, Rashford has been in and out of the starting XI despite scoring three goals – two against Everton and one against Ipswich.

Earlier this week, a report from The Telegraph suggested United could be ‘open to selling’ Rashford amid concerns surrounding his ‘lifestyle choices’.

The England international has been linked with a move to PSG or a Saudi Arabia-based club, with a transfer to a Premier League side thought to be unlikely.

Rashford penned a new five-year deal reported to be worth £325,000 per week in July 2023, but has since struggled to find consistency in a United shirt.

Given the fact he still has three years left on his contract, United would likely receive a respectable fee if they were to let him go – with the Mail reporting that a £40m bid may be enough for United to accept.

Potential Marcus Rashford replacements

United have ‘prepared’ a five-man shortlist of players who could replace Rashford.

The five players mentioned are Victor Osimhen, Viktor Gyokeres, Dusan Vlahovic, Evan Ferguson, and Kenan Yildiz, according to Caught Offside.

The prospect of Osimhen, 25, and Gyokeres, 26, playing for the club will certainly excite most United fans.

The former is currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli and has scored ten goals and registered five assists in just 13 appearances for the Turkish giants this term.

Osimhen is out of contract in June 2025.

Marcus Rashford could leave Man Utd (Credit:Getty)

The latter is one of the most in-form forwards in Europe, having netted 25 times in 23 appearances for Amorim’s former club this season.

According to A Bola [via Sport Witness], the Swede has €100m (£83m) release clause in his contract, which could be enough to sign him in the winter market.

However, it goes on to explain how Sporting are ‘open to negotiating a sale next summer’ for a reduced price of €70 (£58m) plus bonuses.

As for the other options, Vlahovic, 24, would suit Premier League football, given his stature. He scored in Juventus’ 2-0 win against Manchester City on Wednesday evening but a huge fee would be needed to prise him away from Turin with his current deal set to run until June 2026.

Ferguson, 20, is still developing. And despite showing signs of promise in previous seasons, has registered just one goal in ten league games for Brighton this term.

Yildiz, 19, also plays for Juve but is still very much a player to keep an eye on rather than a like-for-like replacement for Rashford.