Michael Carrick expressed his delight at the impact Marcus Rashford has made since returning to Manchester United, saying he is looking "sharp, strong, and ready to play."

Rashford has returned to Old Trafford after a successful loan spell with Barcelona in 2025-26, as he helped Hansi Flick retain their LaLiga title. 

He appeared 49 times in all competitions, 26 of which were starts, providing 25 goal involvements (14 goals, 11 assists), which was the fourth-highest tally in Barcelona's squad.

The 28-year-old's loan from United included a reported €30m (£26m) option to buy, but the June 15 deadline for Barcelona to make that move permanent has passed. 

Rashford's last competitive outing for the Red Devils was a Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen 20 months ago, when Ruben Amorim was at the helm. 

Since then, he has had loan spells at Aston Villa – for whom he scored four goals and supplied five assists in 17 matches in 2025 – and Barcelona.

And ahead of United's Premier League opener against Hull City on Saturday, Carrick was full of praise for Rashford, who looks in line to play some part at the MKM Stadium. 

"Marcus has come back fantastically well. He's enjoying his football, he looks sharp, strong and ready to play," Carrick said.

"I've been delighted with him since he came back. He can play through the middle and has done.

"I wouldn't say it's his number one position, but he can do that, and we've got forwards that can give us flexibility right across that front line.

"We've used all of them in slightly different roles, so I think for us to have that option is really good through the season."

"It’s been pretty obvious... that he's come back fantastically well."

@Carras16 @MarcusRashford

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 20, 2026

Since making his debut for the club in 2015, Rashford has scored 138 goals and provided 60 assists, in 426 appearances across all competitions. 

Rashford still has two years left on his current contract and adds more strength to United's forward line, which consists of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo. 

The Red Devils have chosen to bolster their midfield this summer, with Youri Tielemans joining from Aston Villa, while Chelsea's Andrey Santos has also made the move. 

It has also been reported that United have tabled an initial bid of £60m plus £5m in add-ons for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, a year on from seeing an approach turned down.

When asked about what the club might do before the September 1 deadline, Carrick added: "We're just looking to strengthen the squad. 

"We're certainly working towards that. We're trying to make the most of the opportunities to finish the window stronger than we went into it, and we're in a good way to doing that."