Amad Diallo has extended his best wishes to Marcus Rashford as he prepares for a potential loan move to Barcelona. The Spanish champions are reportedly finalising a deal that includes an option to purchase Rashford, who fell out of favour at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim last season.
Rashford has been with United since he was seven and made his senior debut in February 2016 at the age of 18.
Rashford spent the latter half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, where he scored four goals and provided five assists in 17 appearances across all competitions. Despite this impressive performance, Villa chose not to make the move permanent. His nine goal contributions during this period surpassed any other United player’s tally in the same timeframe.
Rashford’s last appearance for United was as a substitute against Nottingham Forest in December last year. He did not join Amorim’s squad for their pre-season friendly against Leeds United in Stockholm. “Well, the only thing I can say is good luck to him, but I’m more focused on United and my team,” Diallo commented when asked about Rashford’s impending transfer.
Rashford is among five players seeking exits from United, including Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia. Sancho is reportedly nearing a move to Juventus, while Garnacho has been linked with Napoli but seems interested in staying within the Premier League.
Diallo shares a close friendship with Garnacho but remains unfazed by the possibility of his departure. “I think this is not really my problem,” said Diallo. “The only thing I’m thinking right now is how we will learn together as a team, and yeah, that’s the only thing I’m trying to think about right now.”
United are gearing up for their first full season under Amorim after finishing 16th in the Premier League in 2024-25 and reaching the Europa League final, which they lost to Tottenham. The club has already bolstered its squad by signing Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon and is reportedly close to acquiring Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford.
Expectations for the Upcoming Season
Diallo remains optimistic about significant improvements following a disappointing 2024-25 season. “A good season will be top five,” he stated. “I hope we can achieve that top five at the end of the season because I think we would deserve it.” He urged fans to be patient with the new manager, players, and tactics.
“There’s a new manager, with new players and new tactics,” Diallo noted. “We know last season wasn’t really good for the team. But I think this season we will win a lot with him, and I hope we are going to achieve a lot of good things by the end of the season.”