Paul Pogba has voiced sharp disappointment at Manchester United’s willingness to loan Marcus Rashford to Barcelona, warning that the club is undervaluing a homegrown match‑winner at a critical moment in its rebuild. According to multiple reports, United are close to finalising a season‑long loan that would include an option for Barca to make the move permanent next summer.
Speaking on a livestream, Pogba said he was “happy” for Rashford personally but baffled by United’s stance, especially after the club reassigned his iconic No. 10 shirt to new signing Matheus Cunha. For Pogba, that symbolic strip change underlines how far Rashford has slipped in the pecking order since Ruben Amorim publicly challenged the forward’s training intensity last season.
Rashford’s form and minutes declined, and he was allowed to take a six‑month loan to Aston Villa earlier this year. Villa held a £40 million option but chose not to trigger it, leaving United to reconsider the England international’s future this summer. Rather than reintegrate him fully, the club has opened the door to Barcelona an environment Pogba believes could reignite Rashford’s best instincts in transition and wide‑channel finishing.
“The new manager has to make decisions to win now,” Pogba acknowledged, accepting that Amorim must shape the squad on his own terms. Still, he argued that moving on from a player of Rashford’s ceiling could age badly if United struggle for goals. Should Barca exercise the purchase option, United could find themselves watching one of their academy jewels peak elsewhere.
Advising Rashford through the process is AC Talent, led by Arturo Canales, the intermediary who arranged the Villa move. Talks are understood to be advanced, with the loan structure appealing to Barca’s financial constraints.
Adding intrigue, Pogba now at Monaco could face Rashford in the Champions League group stage if the draw aligns. It would be the first time the former Old Trafford teammates line up on opposing sides in Europe, a tantalising what‑if for United supporters already anxious about losing another star developed in Manchester.
For United fans, the debate cuts deeper than one transfer. Rashford embodies the academy pathway that has long anchored the club’s identity, reach, and homegrown quota flexibility. Moving him even temporarily signals a ruthless pivot toward immediate results. Pogba’s warning asks whether short‑term pragmatism will cost United the kind of in‑house star cash can’t easily replace in the future.
