Guardiola told Ryan Giggs he would sign Rashford from United without hesitation

Pep Guardiola once told Ryan Giggs that Marcus Rashford was the best player at Manchester United and that he would “take him tomorrow” if given the opportunity — a revelation Giggs shared on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast.

Giggs recalled being seated next to Guardiola at a dinner attended by around eight people, approximately eight or nine years ago. When Giggs asked the City manager which United player he rated most highly, Guardiola dismissed suggestions of David De Gea and Luke Shaw before landing on Rashford — specifically praising him as a centre forward.

“He said the best player at Man United, Marcus Rashford. I would take him tomorrow,” Giggs recounted. “And that just made me [think], what’s he seeing, Pep?”

Rashford came through the academy at Old Trafford, scoring on his debut in 2016, and has since produced 30-goal seasons at his peak alongside stretches of inconsistency and off-field scrutiny. He has scored seven times against City across his career — his second-best record against any single club — including a long-range strike in 2024 and a winner at the Etihad before Guardiola’s arrival.

Direct transfers between the two Manchester clubs have been exceptionally rare. The last significant deal was Carlos Tevez’s controversial move to City in 2009. This past summer, both clubs pursued Elliot Anderson, but the England midfielder made clear he preferred a move to the blue half of Manchester, completing a £116 million switch from Nottingham Forest. Giggs admitted he attempted to persuade Anderson otherwise, only to be quickly rebuffed.

Guardiola ended his ten-year tenure at the Etihad this summer after a period of sustained dominance, during which recruitment — largely from overseas — was central to City’s success.