Wes Brown: United fans won't be hurt if Rashford seals Arsenal move this summer

Wes Brown has argued that Manchester United fans would largely accept a summer move by Marcus Rashford to Arsenal, suggesting the forward’s prolonged absence from Old Trafford has already softened the emotional blow of any future switch to a rival.

Rashford, 28, has not featured for his boyhood club in years, spending time on loan first at Aston Villa and then at La Liga champions Barcelona, where he registered 28 goal contributions across the season. Despite that productive campaign in Spain, Barcelona have opted against activating their £26 million permanent purchase option, instead completing a reported €80 million (£69m) deal for former Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon. Gordon’s arrival effectively closes the door on Rashford’s time at the Camp Nou.

With Rashford’s reported £325,000-a-week wages making a permanent sale a priority for United, Arsenal have emerged as a potential destination. Brown, who made over 360 appearances for United, drew a clear distinction between this scenario and previous transfers that stung the fanbase.

“Would it hurt to see Marcus Rashford in an Arsenal shirt next season? Yes and no,” Brown said. “He’s already played for Aston Villa and Barcelona so it wouldn’t feel like he’d be going straight there, and that’s a little bit different. He’s not played for Manchester United for a good few years.”

Brown pointed to Danny Welbeck’s departure to Arsenal under Louis van Gaal as a more painful precedent. “Danny Welbeck leaving United to join Arsenal was the one that hurt because he was so young and I don’t think he wanted to go. It was down to Louis van Gaal. I think it would be a little bit different for Marcus. It’d be weird to see him in an Arsenal shirt but I thought that when I saw him playing for Aston Villa too.”

Rashford’s future will come into sharper focus after the 2026 World Cup, where he is expected to feature for England. With Michael Carrick now overseeing a new era at Old Trafford and no obvious route back into the first team, a permanent move to north London would represent a significant chapter in a career that has stalled considerably since his peak years under Ole Gunnar Solskjær.