We gave Man Utd £100m to replace Marcus Rashford - this is what they did next
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Speculation over Marcus Rashford’s long-term future at Manchester United continues to dominate the headlines.
Over eight years have passed since the Red Devils academy product enjoyed a spectacular introduction to life at senior level by scoring twice in a 5-1 home win in a Europa League tie against Midtjylland before hitting another brace in a 3-2 victory against Arsenal on his Premier League bow. A Manchester derby winner, a key FA Cup goal against West Ham United and a eye-catching performance in a cup final win against Crystal Palace only added to the excitement surrounding Rashford by the end of his first season within the first-team setup.
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Hide AdDuring his time with his boyhood club, Rashford has become a two-time FA Cup and Carabao Cup winner and lifted the Europa League trophy after a final win against Ajax. He also went on to score 17 goals in 60 appearances for England after marking his Three Lions senior bow with a goal in a 2-1 win in a friendly with Australia at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. As it stands, Rashford should surpass the 300-appearance mark with United this season and could reach a century of goals during the course of the campaign.
However, there have been suggestions he could soon be plying his trade elsewhere next season after struggling to find consistent form over the last two seasons. So we wondered what could happen if Rashford was allowed to depart Old Trafford next season. We fired up Football Manager 2024, used the editor to update the United squad to its present state and moved Rashford to Paris Saint-Germain for £75m during the summer of 2025. With Erik ten Hag still in charge, we allowed the world’s most popular managerial simulation to predict how United would replace their academy product with a budget of £100m.
Despite being linked with several wingers and forwards from around Europe, the Red Devils remained focused on the Premier League as they found their replacement in Newcastle United and England winger Anthony Gordon. The two Uniteds agreed an £87m deal for the former Everton man and that figure could reach £95m if certain add-ons are triggered during his time at Old Trafford. But how did Gordon fare during his first season at Manchester United?
Gordon’s first season with Manchester United
The deal to take Gordon to Old Trafford was completed just a week before the Premier League season got underway and the new man had to wait for his debut as he remained an unused substitute for the opening day home win against Nottingham Forest and an away day defeat at Arsenal. However, there was a large dose of inevitability about Gordon’s debut as he was named in Ten Hag’s starting eleven for a home game with former club Newcastle.
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Hide AdLining up on the left-hand side of a front three also containing Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo, Gordon took just five minutes to make an impact as he won a penalty that was converted by captain Bruno Fernandes. The new man went on to net his first goal for the Red Devils as he scored an 88th minute equaliser after an Alexander Isak brace had taken his former club to within touching distance of a rare Old Trafford win.
That pretty much solidified Gordon’s place in Ten Hag’s side for the remainder of the season - although he had to wait until Boxing Day to double his goal tally as he got the only goal of a home win against another of his former clubs, Everton. That is not to say the England international had not made an impact in other ways as he provided nine assists for team-mates throughout the first half of the season. His form helped United into a top four place and they also secured progress into the Europa League knockout stages with league stage wins over the likes of Braga, Atalanta, Roma and Besiktas.


January proved to be a frustrating period for Gordon as a hamstring injury suffered in training saw him ruled for the second half of the month and most of February. However, United remained in form and remained in contention for a return to the Champions League during his six-week absence. There was major disappointment upon Gordon’s return as he came off the bench in the second leg of a Europa League round of 16 defeat against Lazio as one route to silverware was brought to an abrupt end at the Stadio Olimpico.
Gordon scored goals in successive Premier League wins against Brentford and Crystal Palace as United moved into a season high second place in the table - but a Manchester derby defeat, a loss at Chelsea and a draw at Newcastle saw Ten Hag’s men slip to fourth, where they would end the season. It would also become a trophyless season as the final route to silverware was ended by Liverpool, who inflicted a desperately disappointing 4-0 defeat on United in the FA Cup semi-final.
Gordon’s first season as a Red Devil ended with six goals and 13 assists in 39 appearances in all competitions - a promising return as an individual but with plenty to improve on as a team.
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