As Marcus Rashford boarded a jet to Barcelona last July, departing as the first of Manchester United’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ to actually be bombed out, the idea of him playing for his boyhood club again appeared remote.Remote, but not impossible. There was always a chance that goodbye could just be a ‘See you later’.Rashford’s form, Barcelona’s financial situation or simply the shifting of priorities at Camp Nou were all variables that could see the La Liga club decide against exercising their €30million option to sign the now 28-year-old permanently.And despite Rashford holding up his end of the bargain, scoring 14 goals and assisting 11 more across 49 appearances to help Barca retain the Spanish title, so it transpired.After Barcelona’s option to buy expired at midnight on Monday, he is now expected to return to United for pre-season training once England’s World Cup journey ends and he has enjoyed a post-tournament break.Despite interest from around the Premier League and in wider Europe, Barcelona’s decision has raised the prospect of Rashford remaining at United next season, a prospect that appeared near impossible under previous head coach Ruben Amorim.Relations with Amorim’s replacement Michael Carrick are understandably better. The pair spent three seasons as Old Trafford team-mates, with Carrick then moving onto the coaching staff and working with Rashford for another three and a half years.Carrick was reluctant to specifically commit to reintegrating Rashford when asked about the prospect of his return in April, but did leave the door slightly ajar.“There’s decisions to be made in time on certain things, and obviously Marcus is in that situation. But at this point in time, nothing’s been decided,” he said. “From my perspective, whoever’s here, I want to work with, make the best out of and help them improve.”Sources close to Rashford, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, have not entirely given up on Barcelona returning to the table later in the summer. United, however, are adamant they will not consider another loan proposal from the Catalans. A £40million clause is available to all potential suitors, excluding their two biggest rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.From Rashford’s perspective, in the scenario that he is still a United player by the time he returns to Carrington after the World Cup, his preference is believed to be to see out the final two years of his contract rather than join another English club.Rashford in training at United in January 2025 (Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)If Rashford holds to that desire, and if United hold to demands that suitors refuse to meet, the prospect of him staying comes back into play.But that should not distract from the fact he remains available for sale, nor the broader direction of travel, which has pointed towards at least another season away from Manchester.Rashford’s exile at United and then exit last year were instigated by Amorim, but the call was not based solely on the head coach’s opinion. It was a club decision, with alignment at executive level, including from chief executive Omar Berrada and then technical director Jason Wilcox, who is now director of football.Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United’s minority co-owner, was also supportive, as he intimated when speaking to UK newspapers The Times and The Telegraph in March last year while Rashford was on a previous half-season loan at Aston Villa.Ratcliffe suggested that the locally-born forward leaving his hometown was “a good thing”. “I am very pleased he is doing well,” he added. “It’s good to see because he has got tremendous talent, but for whatever reason, it wasn’t working in Manchester for the past couple of seasons.”That position was reiterated even after Amorim’s dismissal in January, when indications from Camp Nou pointed towards Barcelona wanting to keep Rashford beyond the end of his loan spell this summer.United’s recruitment planning for next season leaves, in some scenarios, little room for a return.Interest in West Ham United winger Crysencio Summerville follows December’s pursuit of Antoine Semenyo, who would have been signed to play in United’s attack rather than as one of Amorim’s wing-backs if he hadn’t chosen to join neighbours City from Bournemouth.United are also monitoring Newcastle’s Lewis Hall. A move for the 21-year-old, or any other left-back, would suggest that Patrick Dorgu will continue to be deployed as a left-winger — a position he played in all three of his starts under Carrick, either side of a three-month injury lay-off.Whether left-wing or left-back is prioritised, neither avenue leaves much room for Rashford, or puts his salary of more than £325,000 a week to full use.Ratcliffe is on the record noting that many of the squad’s highest earners have either been unavailable or out of favour over the past few seasons, a situation that is neither helpful nor desirable. United have significantly slashed their spending on players’ wages under his part-ownership over the past 16 months.Manchester United hold an interest in West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville (Julian Finney/Getty Images)Fully reintegrating one of the best-paid players at the club, despite him not having a guaranteed spot as a regular starter, would cut against that philosophy.And with two full seasons remaining on Rashford’s contract, without even the usual one-year extension option available for United to trigger, this summer is potentially the Old Trafford hierarchy’s last opportunity to extract something close to representing his true market value, before the prospect of him leaving as a free agent looms.Keeping Rashford around would hardly be cheap. His journey through United’s academy system means he costs them little in annual amortisation (the spreading of transfer and related fees across a player’s contract) but his weekly wage is another matter entirely.The Athletic has previously reported that stands at around £325,000, and with United back in the Champions League next season, there will be no 25 per cent ‘haircut’, as in previous years. At that level of salary, even ignoring any bonuses which may appear on top, add on United’s social-security obligations and it comprises an estimated annual hit of £19.4million — and £38.9m across the two remaining years of Rashford’s deal.Having qualified for Europe, United are once again subject to UEFA squad-cost rules, where only 70 per cent of relevant income can be spent on players. In other words, they need an estimated £26.3million in revenue to afford Rashford’s reported annual wages. Removing that commitment, like the amounts shed by the departures of Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Rasmus Hojlund this summer, would create significant financial benefit.As much as all those factors point towards an eventual parting of the ways, none of them can force Rashford out the door against his will, nor do they make it any more likely that another club will meet United’s demands.If anything, some sources in the industry suggest the club’s clear, telegraphed desire to sell Rashford over the past 12 months has only had the opposite effect, leaving suitors with the impression they can hold off and wait, then pursue a deal once the September 1 transfer deadline approaches or if United need to accelerate incoming deals.World Cup Transfer News with David OrnsteinAnd, despite the existence of the £40million clause, a price at which United could be willing to do business has already been set by Barcelona’s loan option: €30m (£26m at the current rate).That raises the possibility of a third way: neither full exile, nor full reintegration, but Rashford spending much of the summer as part of United’s squad again, perhaps even playing again under Carrick in the season’s early weeks, but still heading for an exit if the deal is right.There is an obvious parallel with Sancho, who was reintegrated from exile on returning from a loan spell at Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2024, even playing for United during pre-season, including the Community Shield, only to then secure another loan, to Chelsea in late August.The first member of the bomb squad out the door last summer will return at some point next month as the only one of the five to still be a United player.United are prepared for a long window, during which the question of Rashford’s future may not be swiftly answered.Additional reporting: Chris Weatherspoon