Marcus Rashford's Manchester United Revival

Harry Maguire believes Marcus Rashford is ready to rewrite his Manchester United story.

The forward, back in a Premier League starting XI for the club for the first time in 21 months, played like a man intent on staying. In the 5-2 win over Ipswich at Old Trafford, Rashford was one of United’s most dangerous attacking outlets, constantly stretching the game and driving at defenders.

Not long ago, his United future looked all but finished. A breakdown in relations with former manager Ruben Amorim led to a loan spell at Aston Villa, then another at Barcelona. The Catalan club had the option to make the move permanent for £26m and there were times when that felt like the likeliest outcome.

They passed. The window shuts on Tuesday night and, barring a late twist, Rashford will remain at his boyhood club.

“He's a great talent. He's always a threat,” said Maguire after the Ipswich win. “If Marcus wants to be here, wants to work, wants to improve and help the team, of course we're willing to have him in the team.

“He could still do a lot more and I think he'll say he can do more but if we keep him fit, we keep him happy, he keeps driven and hungry, he's a great asset to have.”

Rashford has carried a cloud of negativity for some time, stretching back into Erik ten Hag’s tenure. His work-rate has been dissected, his commitment doubted, even his love for football questioned.

Time away from Old Trafford seems to have reset something. Under Unai Emery at Aston Villa and Hansi Flick at Barcelona, Rashford found different voices, different demands. Those who work with him now feel he has returned sharper, more focused, and with Michael Carrick – a coach who knows him as a person and as a player – in charge, United believe the environment finally suits him again.

“You've got to remember Marcus has had a wonderful career for this club,” Maguire reminded. “But when you play at this club for numerous years, there's going to be bad seasons, and when the bad seasons come everyone piles on you. That's part and parcel of playing for this club.

“As a club, we haven't been perfect from top to bottom. We haven't been challenging at the top end. So, Marcus has been part of a rough ride for Manchester United.

“When that happens, players get dug out. I've been through it.”

Maguire knows that cycle intimately. He lost his place, then the captaincy, under Ten Hag and at one stage looked certain to leave. Now he is back in the team and speaking as one survivor about another. The defender sees the same resilience in Rashford.

“He's come back in, really fit and sharp and we're excited to have him,” Maguire said.

For Carrick, Rashford feels like a new signing. So does Kobbie Mainoo, in a different way.

Mainoo also made his first start of the season against Ipswich and grew into the match after United fell behind. The midfielder, revitalised last season under Carrick after being overlooked by Amorim, now faces another mental test. England manager Thomas Tuchel took him to the World Cup but never used him, a bruising experience for a young player on the rise.

Maguire, though, saw exactly what United need from him.

“I thought he was brilliant,” he said. “To say he hasn't had many minutes in pre-season, he was magnificent.

“His work without the ball has improved so much since Michael's been in. He's becoming a real monster in there, wins a lot of second balls and a lot of duels.”

The praise did not stop there.

“The thing is he's so young. If we want him to play for this club for another 10 years, there's going to be times where he's going to go through a patch like I spoke about with Rashy and myself.

“But that's part and parcel. He's really level-headed, really composed and has great belief in his ability.

“He's going to be a magnificent player for this club for many years.”

United’s rebuild under Carrick is still fragile, still forming. Yet in Rashford and Mainoo, they have two players who embody both the scars of recent years and the hope of what might come next.