Marcus Rashford made his long-awaited return to Manchester United colours on Saturday, coming off the bench for his first appearance for the club in 20 months, but could not prevent his side slipping to a 4-2 defeat against AC Milan in their final pre-season friendly, played in Wroclaw, Poland.
The game carried extra intrigue given the identity of the opposition manager: Ruben Amorim, the man who froze Rashford out of United's first-team plans back in December 2024. Amorim, now in the early stages of his tenure at Milan, picked up his first win as the Rossoneri boss, ending a winless start to life in Italy.
United started brightly under interim boss Michael Carrick, who was still missing several key players including Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt. Harry Maguire gave the hosts an early lead inside two minutes, converting from close range after meeting a Bruno Fernandes corner.
Milan responded through Samuel Chukwueze, who capitalised on shaky United defending to level the score after being teed up by Goncalo Ramos. United were then handed a golden opportunity to retake the lead when Youri Tielemans was fouled in the box, but Bruno Fernandes saw his penalty saved by goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani, his second missed spot-kick in four days.
United edged back in front shortly after the interval when Patrick Dorgu pounced on a loose Filippo Terracciano backpass to slot home. However, the advantage lasted only briefly as Milan produced a dramatic turnaround in the space of 15 second-half minutes. Chukwueze, influential throughout, set up Alphadjo Cisse for the equaliser before Ramos headed in another Chukwueze delivery to put Milan ahead. Ruben Loftus-Cheek then added a fourth, exploiting space down United's right flank to complete the comeback.
It was in this context that Rashford entered the fray, introduced with around half an hour remaining. Wearing the No. 9 shirt — though United have clarified that squad numbers for the new season are not yet finalised — the 28-year-old operated on the left wing before later appearances suggested he also featured on the right. Despite showing some promising touches, he was unable to influence the scoreline. Kobbie Mainoo, another player who has endured a difficult few months, also came on but had a quiet outing.
Rashford's introduction marked the end of an eventful chapter away from Old Trafford. After being sidelined by Amorim, he spent time on loan at Aston Villa before a season-long move to Barcelona. Despite his desire to remain in Spain, Barcelona chose not to activate their purchase option, leaving Rashford to return to a United side that, as recently as May, had been reportedly looking to offload him. He still has two years remaining on his contract.
Speaking before the match, Carrick made clear that Rashford remains part of his plans. "He's our player, and he's a good player and he gives us something a little bit different in the group," Carrick said. "Marcus can offer us so much. He has done, and he can do again, so in that respect it's quite exciting."
Whether Rashford will feature when United begin their Premier League campaign away at newly promoted Hull City remains to be seen, but his reintegration into the squad marks a notable subplot ahead of the new season. Carrick, meanwhile, will have defensive concerns to address after his side conceded three goals in a mere 15-minute span against Milan.
Based on reporting from Independent Football and Standard Football.