Rooney tells Rashford to fix body language and hunger to break his 253-goal United record

Wayne Rooney has challenged Marcus Rashford to overhaul his attitude and body language if the forward is serious about breaking his all-time Manchester United goalscoring record of 253 goals, speaking on his podcast Stick to United as Rashford prepares for a second chance at Old Trafford.

Rashford, who has not played for United since December 2024 after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim, spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa before joining Barcelona on a temporary deal. With the Spanish club opting against making the move permanent, the 28-year-old has been involved in Michael Carrick’s pre-season preparations at United.

Rooney, who holds the club’s all-time scoring record, was direct in his assessment. “For me, has he got the hunger, does he want to play for Manchester United?” he said. “If he wants to play for Manchester United, I think the first thing he has to do — I’ve been there in 2010 when I asked to leave the football club — he has to build a relationship with the fans. And the easiest way to do that is to work hard and body language.”

The former England captain acknowledged Rashford’s undoubted ability but pointed to consistency of effort as the missing ingredient. “I think Marcus’ body language isn’t great, and so it might be something he has to work on,” Rooney added. “His work rate has to improve, but if he wants to be at the football club, he just needs to knuckle down.”

Rashford currently sits 15th in United’s all-time scoring charts with 138 goals — 115 short of Rooney’s benchmark — and Rooney insisted he remains the one player in the squad with the potential to eventually surpass it. “He’s a young lad. He’s from Manchester. He’s the one player who can go and get my goalscoring record,” he said.

Rooney also urged Rashford to be selective about the people around him. “Only he can say who the people are around him who he really trusts,” he said. “Keep them close to him, go into training, work hard, get himself right. If he does that, he’ll be fine.”

The comments reflect a broader sense at Old Trafford that Rashford’s return represents a genuine opportunity for redemption — but one that will hinge entirely on the player’s own commitment.