Man Utd could sign “the next Mbappe” this summer

England’s participation in the World Cup came to an end on Saturday without Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo playing one minute.

He missed the maddening 6-4 win over France in the third-place play-off with a back injury, but Red Devils striker Marcus Rashford started on the left.

The midfielder helped Bukayo Saka score the first goal in the game and finished the tournament with one goal and one assist out of three starts in the tournament.

As it stands, the 28-year-old striker is set to return to the club ahead of the season with Michael Carrick after spending the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Barcelona.

Why Man United need to give Marcus Rashford another chance

Rashford was sidelined under Ruben Amorim and loaned out to Barcelona after failing to impress the Portuguese head coach, but his form on either side of his time with the Milan boss suggests he deserves another chance.

The Englishman moved to Barcelona and scored 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, including 15 goals in 32 games in LaLiga.

Rashford scored just four goals in 15 Premier League games under Amorim, playing in a 3-4-2-1 formation that did not suit his style of play, yet he scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists for United in the two seasons before the Portuguese manager’s appointment.

With Michael Carrick returning the Red Devils to the old 4-2-3-1, the Englishman should be given another chance to show what he can offer as a player on the left wing.

His form before United’s Amorim and while on loan at Barcelona under Hansi Flick suggests he has a lot more to offer than he did in the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, which is why he should be linked this summer.

How Man Utd can replace Rashford in the transfer window

Carrick needs to compete for places across the pitch, though, and the club are already looking for a player who will be better than Rashford in the side.

Reports from Spain over the weekend indicate that Manchester United are one of the teams in the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola in the summer transfer window.

The report says that his representatives held talks with the Red Devils to give them the opportunity to get the French player before next season.

It adds that the French giants, who won the Champions League in May, are hoping to get more than £60m for the 23-year-old winger.

Barcola outperformed Rashford at the World Cup this summer, scoring three times as many goals as England, and he beat England on Saturday.

It’s not just their performances at international level that suggest the PSG star is a top left-back, however, as his performances in Ligue 1 last term were different.

Barcola scored 11 goals and created 11 ‘big chances’ for PSG in France’s top flight in the 2025/26 campaign, scoring three more goals and creating three ‘big chances’ than Rashford produced in LaLiga.

The 23-year-old striker, described by journalist Robin Bairner as “the next Mbappe”, also scored 14 goals, created 18 ‘big chances’, and provided 10 assists in 34 games in Ligue 1 in the 2024/25 season.

Barcola has produced 34 goals and 48 ‘big chances’ created over the past two seasons in all competitions for PSG, showing that he can score and assist goals at an exceptional rate on the left side.

While Rashford can be good when he’s at his best, the aforementioned Englishman’s stats are nowhere near Barcola’s two years ago.

Therefore, Manchester United should take the opportunity to sign this star for more than £60m because he is much better than Rashford on the left wing and would be a good addition to Carrick’s team.

That doesn’t mean his arrival will be the end of the former Barcelona loanee, though, because Champions League football means the Red Devils need more competition and the two could compete for a place on the left side.