Marcus Rashford will not be a free agent this summer as Manchester United have activated a one-year extension in his contract, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The England star’s deal was set to expire at the end of the season with Paris Saint-Germain linked, but the forward will now be staying at the club as manager Erik ten Hag is a big fan of his.
The 25-year-old has scored 101 goals in 322 games since his breakthrough from the academy in 2016, though he has struggled for form and confidence at times in recent years.
Speaking on The Here We Go Podcast, Romano claimed that Ten Hag was obsessed with convincing him to stay after an improvement under the Dutchman this season.
He said: “They were interested, PSG, in the summer, but Manchester United were not even keen to discuss [Rashford leaving].
“We can confirm that Marcus Rashford will not leave Manchester United on a free in 2023, because Man United will activate the option until 2024. So Rashford will not be a free agent. PSG remain interested, because all the people linked to the club appreciate him.
“Also when Pochettino was there, he was a big fan of Rashford, but the reality is that Erik ten Hag is obsessed and desperate with keeping Rashford at the club.
“Ten Hag is pushing with the player and the club will offer him a new deal.”
TIF Thoughts on Rashford…
With eight goals and three assists in 19 games this season, the attacker is having something of a resurgence and is clearly benefiting from the coaching of Ten Hag.
He earned himself a place in the England squad and scored three times in Qatar as his side reached the quarter-finals, but could not earn himself a starting spot over Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka or Harry Kane against France last weekend.
After the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rashford is the main choice for Ten Hag at centre-forward, and it seems that the Dutchman is keen to build a team with him as the focal point as we head into the latter part of the campaign.
United have been linked with other forwards such as Joao Felix to replace Ronaldo, but Rashford has been playing regularly and looks set to continue, and a new contract could further boost his confidence and form.