Marcus Rashford is now ‘highly likely’ to return to Man Utd in the summer after Ruben Amorim was sacked by the Premier League club, according to reports.

Rashford was allowed to leave Old Trafford on loan to Catalan giants Barcelona in the summer transfer window after he spent the second half of last season on loan at Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

There have been noises that the England international would like to stay on at Barcelona past the end of the season with the La Liga side having an option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

However, Spanish publication Sportinsists that triggering his €40m clause is ‘something the Camp Nou club is not considering’ and it is ‘highly likely that United will try to recall him’ after Amorim was sacked on Monday.

The report adds that Barcelona had ‘hoped to renegotiate the fee’ down in the summer but that ‘Amorim’s dismissal could toughen conditions, as Manchester United might be keen to bring back their prodigal son to lead their new project’.

And former Man Utdmidfielder Owen Hargreaves is keen for the Red Devils to bring Rashford back to Old Trafford in the summer.

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Hargreaves said on TNT Sports: “I hope that Marcus comes back because he’s a special player. I don’t know what happened between Marcus and Ruben, but I don’t think there’s any denying his talent.

“I don’t think Marcus should’ve been in a position where he shouldered all the weight for everything.

“In our team, he would’ve been the third or fourth guy, so he wouldn’t have to bare all the responsibility because a lot of that would’ve been taken off his shoulders.

“There was too much emphasis on these young guys to be the main man, and they should never have found themselves in that position at just 20 years of age.

“They needed a striker who was 26-28 years old and then the youngsters could have learned the ropes like everyone did previously at the club.

“I think Marcus is a super talent and the club could use him.”

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Amorim, who was appointed in November 2024, never really showed clear progress at Man Utd and disagreeements with Jason Wilcox and the board ultimately cost him his job.

Reacting to the news, former Man Utd midfielder Hargreaves added: “I was surprised, and I think everybody was surprised by the decision to sack Amorim.

“United weren’t playing exceptionally well, but they were still in a position where finishing in the top four or five was realistic.

“The timing of the decision is a surprise, but I guess other things have come to a head which happens at big clubs like we saw with?Chelsea and Enzo Maresca recently.

“I think that situation had an impact on United and I think we might see a lot of changes in the next month or so with other managers after this massive domino has fallen.

“At Chelsea, it seems there were a lot of cooks in the kitchen, and when a lot of people have opinions, not all of them can align.

“Maybe something similar happened with Ruben and United and that’s why communication is super important.

“I feel sorry for him, the club and the fans. At the end of the day, everyone is just trying to do their best.

“Ruben managed a massive club in?Portugal?and had huge success, which meant everyone was excited to see what he could produce here.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t materialise in the way he envisioned. I think his communication level was remarkable and, if anything, I think he overshared and communicated too much, but there’s no denying that he’s a top manager.

“He has proven that, but this is a different league with greater competition and expectancy at Manchester United.

“Ruben will be fine in the future because he’s an incredible communicator, he’s a smart guy, a gentleman and, hopefully, he’ll enjoy great success. I’m sure he wanted to finish the job here but it wasn’t meant to be.”

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