Here Mirror Football looks at how Marcus Rashford is faring at Barcelona, as Gary Neville provides an update on Man United’s manager search
Michael Carrick has Manchester United firing on all cylinders and back in Champions League contention. And the Red Devils can make it five wins from five against West Ham on Tuesday night, following the weekend’s 2-0 defeat of Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes scored in either half as United dispatched of Thomas Frank’s 10-man Spurs. United can leapfrog Aston Villa in third with victory over the Hammers, ahead of Unai Emery’s side’s Wednesday night clash with Brighton.
Carrick took the reins on a temporary basis following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal and will be in charge until the end of the season. United chiefs have given no clue as to who will take on the manager’s job permanently next term, but the former Red Devils midfielder is certainly staking his claim for the position.
Here Mirror Football looks at two of the biggest stories involving United ahead of the West Ham match, with loanee Marcus Rashford turning heads in Spain and Gary Neville providing some insight on the club’s search for a new permanent boss.
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Marcus Rashford takes the plaudits
Rashford’s future at Manchester United remains an ever-present topic of discussion, with the Red Devils loanee attempting to revive his career at Barcelona.
The striker has experienced some ups and downs at Camp Nou, but took the opportunity of a rare start against Mallorca with both hands – winning the collective praise of the Spanish media.
Rashford took the injured Raphinha’s place in Barcelona’s XI, starting a match for the first time since January 3. The Englishman was hooked in the second half and was given a standing ovation by fans as he exited the pitch.
Mundo Deportivo praised Rashford for lifting Barca following a sluggish start. “By far, one of Barca’s most purposeful players in a first half that was collectively very flat,” read a piece on the 28-year-old.
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“Taking [Hansi] Flick’s challenge to heart, he assumed attacking responsibility when the game looked its worst, producing the most dangerous shots, the second leading to the 1-0 goal, and sending a beautiful free kick straight off the crossbar. Substituted to well-deserved applause.”
AS, meanwhile, pointed out that Rashford’s form has improved throughout the season as he’s found his feet in Spain. And the Barca Universal website gave the striker an 8.5/10 rating.
“Rashford was perhaps Barcelona’s most potent threat in the first half as he did not hesitate to cut in and shoot, creating a ruckus in the Mallorca area and bombarding Roman’s goal with powerful strikes,” its report read.
“He also did well providing a wide threat, although his crosses were well defended for the greater part. In fact, the opening goal stemmed from his shot on goal, which fell kindly for [Robert] Lewandowski.”
Gary Neville provides Man United manager update
Neville has lifted the lid on United’s process for hiring a new permanent boss, claiming he personally spoke to the club and that the search for a permanent Amorin replacement is very much underway.
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, he said: “I made my position clear a few weeks ago, and what I’m not going to do is repeat it every week, but what I did, I actually spoke to the club, because ultimately the club get asked all the time from journalists and broadcasters, what’s the position of the club.
“It’s a very difficult situation, you’ve got a massive movement now with what’s happened towards giving Carrick the job, saying that, really, he should be considered. That’s only going to build the more that he wins and the more that he gets closer to Champions League football.
“I asked the club what is the official position of the football club in terms of what you’re saying publicly to everybody else. I have to say I thought their answer was pretty good. They said they’ve actually begun the process now, starting to look for another manager, which I thought right.
“That’s good to hear because you need to plan for everything. They’ve started the process of speaking to and looking at other managers, building all the sorts of data and analysing who should be the next manager of the football club. But what they’ve said is they’re not going to be bounced into – irrespective of wins or draws or losses on the pitch in this next couple of months – making an appointment. They’re going to wait until towards the end of the season.”
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