Marcus Rashford's Manchester United career looks to be over after he was once again left out of Ruben Amorim's squad for the trip to Wolves on Thursday (December 26). The Red Devils fell to a dismal 2-0 defeat at Molineux, with Bruno Fernandes sent off for two bookable offenses.
Amorim couldn't turn to Rashford as the English attacker wasn't even named on the bench. This has been the theme for the last four games and he hasn't featured since a 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League.
His head coach spoke about the situation after the defeat to Wolves and his comments were telling of the situation. He said (via Fabrizio Romano):
“Any changes in Rashford situation? If he's not here… you can make your mind up. It's always the same reason. We have to be same professionals, same guys, winning or losing. Losing, I have to be stronger. I will continue with my idea until the end”.
Manchester United have three Marcus Rashford replacements in mind
Manchester United are expected to have a busy January transfer window especially if Rashford departs. A replacement is set to be sought after and co-owners INEOS have shortlisted three options.
According to CaughtOffside, Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams and Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma are targets. They are three of Europe's most exciting attackers although one may wonder whether they have the neccesary goals in their game to be suitable replacements.
Kvaratskhelia has been impressing in Naples for several years and he was a standout performer for Georgia at Euro 2024. A tricky and clever left winger, he's made 18 appearances, scoring five goals and providing three assists.
The 23-year-old has a €58m release clause in his contract which doesn't seem too hefty given his age and ability. He could be an astute option especially in Amorim's 3-4-3 formation as he's also versatile.
Williams was one of Spain's heroes at Euro 2024, a shining light as La Roja won the European Championships in Germany. His pace caused all sorts of problems and he netted against England in the final.
The 22-year-old isn't too prolific in front of goal but is creative and he's managed two goals and five assists in 23 games this season. Barcelona were interested in the Bilbao winger in the summer but he stayed put.
Mitoma has been catching the eye in the Premier League since joining Brighton in August 2021. The Japanese winger suffered an injury in 2023 which hindered his progress at the Amex but he's refound form this season.
The 27-year-old is the more experienced of the trio and he sits on three goals and two assists in 18 games. His Premier League experience might be enticing for INEOS who won't want to make any transfer mistakes in January.