FIFA rule change could force United to release Rashford after Barcelona snub

Manchester United face the prospect of being forced to release Marcus Rashford on a free transfer this summer, after FIFA introduced new regulations protecting players who are exiled from their club’s main squad — a tactic United previously used against the forward under Ruben Amorim.

Rashford, 28, returned from a season-long loan at Barcelona having contributed 14 goals and 14 assists as the Catalan club won La Liga. Despite that productive spell, Barcelona have confirmed they will not sign him permanently, having instead recruited Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for £70 million. That leaves Rashford set to return to Old Trafford once the 2026 World Cup concludes.

The complication for new United head coach Michael Carrick is a memorandum of understanding recently announced by FIFA in collaboration with players’ union FIFPro. Under the new framework, any player segregated from their club’s main squad can file a breach-of-contract claim and demand their release. A successful claim would also require the club to pay out the remaining value of the player’s contract.

Rashford has two years left on a deal worth £300,000 per week at Old Trafford, meaning a successful claim against United could cost the club approximately £30 million — money they would receive nothing in return for.

The regulation is a direct response to the kind of arrangement Amorim deployed last season, when Rashford was placed in what became known as the ‘bomb squad’ — a group of unwanted players made to train separately from the first team. That approach ultimately helped move on Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, and Antony, but FIFA’s ruling now classifies such treatment as abusive in nature.

The new rules effectively close off that exit route for Carrick, who replaced Amorim in the dugout. If a transfer away from Old Trafford cannot be agreed, the incoming United manager may have little choice but to reintegrate Rashford into the squad — or risk a costly legal challenge that the club are in no financial position to absorb.