ARSENAL could be able to line up in three unique ways if they sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United.
The England forward has revealed he is ready for a “new challenge” after falling down the pecking order under Ruben Amorim.
United’s new boss insists he wants to keep Rashford at Old Trafford.
But the versatile winger is on an eye-watering £325,000-a-week package.
And with Sir Jim Ratcliffe making no secret of his desire to cut back on spending, Rashford could be heading off sooner rather than later.
There are sure to be plenty of suitors available depending on United’s asking price.
Paris Saint-Germain are among foreign teams who have long-term interest in Rashford.
But should he stay in the Premier League, Arsenal could end up being his ideal home.
Mikel Arteta has transformed the Gunners from has-beens into title contenders.
Their resilient style of play relies on moments of magic from superstars like Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka – something Rashford has in spades.
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And should the 27-year-old make the move to north London, Arsenal could be able to fit him into three systems.
The Gunners tend to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Kai Havertz leading the line while being supported by Odegaard and Saka.
Arteta currently has a number of options to fill the final attacking spot on the left, including Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling.
But the position would likely open up immediately for Rashford should he join Arsenal.
The 2022/23 campaign saw him slam home 30 goals from that position.
And should he rediscover that form at the Emirates, it would surely be a game-changer for the recently goal-shy Gunners.
A variation of that system could also see Rashford slot in as a striker.
Arteta sometimes prefers a technical dribbler like Martinelli or Trossard out wide.
And Rashford’s speed could make him a preferable option to the rangier Havertz through the middle.
Arsenal are also no strangers to an all-out attack when they are in desperate search of a goal.
A 4-2-4 formation has occasionally been used when chasing a game.
And that could see Rashford take up a position as the left-central forward, giving him support to the left as well as two options on the right.
By Martin Lipton
MARCUS RASHFORD is at a crossroads.
But now the England star has to make the biggest choice he has ever faced – does he care about cash, or about his career?
Rashford’s shock admission that he is “ready for a new challenge” after some two decades under the Manchester United umbrella has altered the dynamic around his future.
That Rashford might not fit the blueprint of Ruben Amorim – who has now responded to Rashford’s comments – was not exactly a surprise.
The Portuguese coach prefers a 3-4-3 formation but appears to have settled on Rasmus Hojlund as his starting central striker and wants two “narrow” inside forwards, with the width coming from the wing-backs.
Rashford has always wanted to play through the middle but is often at his best exploiting spaces out wide – and that skillset does not necessarily suit the way Amorim wants to play.
Even so, going public with his evident dissatisfaction at being bombed entirely from the squad for the Manchester derby was a major move, even if he vowed there would be “no hard feelings” if he does leave his boyhood club.
In truth, Rashford has been leaving United almost from the moment he signed that new £325,000 per week contract in 2023.
Something was broken in his connection to the club. His form dropped, his threat dissipated, his issues with the hierarchy deepened.
When Erik ten Hag dropped him for hosting a birthday party after a derby defeat, and he later pulled a sickie to miss the FA Cup game with Newport, it felt even then that the writing was on the wall.
The facts suggest the love affair has ended. After scoring 30 in all competitions to earn that new deal, he has scored just 15 in the 18 months since it was signed.
Amorim’s arrival seems merely to have accelerated what was increasingly inevitable.
Now, though, it is up to Rashford to determine what his future will bring.
If it is only about the money, then his options might be somewhat limited.
It is hard to see a Prem rival coughing up the same £16.9m annual salary – although Rashford’s comments have probably knocked £20m-plus off any transfer fee, even next month.
But Real Madrid have their fill of big-money strikers and Barcelona’s budget remains restricted by La Liga financial controls.
In Europe, then, that probably leaves PSG – but a move to a one-club league.
Or, in the wider world, he could follow the likes of Ivan Toney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Firmino and Co and head to the Saudi desert.
Lucrative, yep. Certainly a different environment – and that may be exactly what Rashford both wants and needs. But the football? Not in a million years.
What Rashford needs, above all, is to be able to play for trophies and showcase his talents.
There is no better stage than the Premier League – which has far more global eyeballs on it than any other domestic competition.
And in that Premier League there is one club crying out for a goalscoring No 9, especially if he can also play down the left channel to balance out the side and widen its threat.
Rashford has always been more Longsight than London.
Yet Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta, might be the perfect fit.
The Gunners’ lack of a proper scorer is one of the major factors many fans feel has hurt their title challenge this year.
Gabriel Jesus has never been a natural finisher, while Kai Havertz is still a converted midfielder.
And while the link-up between Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka makes their right flank deadly, faith in Gabriel Martinelli on the left is waning.
There have not been too many who succeeded at Arsenal after leaving United – although Danny Welbeck was not a flop.
Rashford has all the attributes to change that history, if he can reproduce what everybody knows is inside him.
And by breaking free, giving himself the chance to start all over, Rashford can make a point to Amorim that will resonate for a very long time.
