Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United exit leaves a lot of unanswered questions

Some have asked why Barca would want Rashford in the first place.

Well, stripped back, they have cut a really good deal.

Having tried, and failed, to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao in the summer, they needed to strengthen their attacking positions. Aside from a now 36-year-old Lewandowski and Yamal, who is half his age, Hansi Flick only has Brazilian Raphinha and former Manchester City forward Ferran Torres to choose from.

Barcelona knew from past discussions with Rashford’s familythat the player was keen to join them, as he said earlier this summer in an interview with Spanish influencer Javi Ruiz.

“Everyone wants to play with the best,” he said. “Hopefully… We’ll see.”

This followed comments from Barca’s sporting director Deco, who had said how much the club liked him, and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.

“When we go to the market, there are names that we know and that could improve the team,” he told Catalan radio station RAC1 in May.

“We like Luis, we like Rashford and we like other players,” he said.

The structure of the deal suits Barcelona.

The club’s once perilous financial position, though improved, is not perfect – it is unlikely they will be in a position to register Rashford immediately, although that will not stop him from training or playing in non-competitive games.

That would clear him to be part of this month’s three-match tour of Japan and South Korea, which includes a game against K League outfit FC Seoul, who, ironically, include Rashford’s former team-mate and close friend Jesse Lingard in their ranks.

Against that backdrop, a loan that contains an option, not an obligation, to buy, with the fee set at €35m (£30.3m) represents very good business.

If Rashford does well and gets close to the levels that earned him his current £325,000-a-week contract in the first place, he would be worth far more than the sum Barcelona would have to pay for someone who would then still only be 28.

If he doesn’t succeed, they can just send him back to Old Trafford. There wouldn’t even be the need for the penalty clause Chelsea had to pay to get out of signing Jadon Sancho this summer.

For United, there is a benefit too.

The club’s hope will be that they and Amorim will be able to move on and construct their own future without repeated questions about a player who, in reality, has had one outstanding season in his last five.

Even club legends such as Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs have said it is probably now time for Rashford to try something new.