When Rashford left Manchester United last season, my heart was broken. I had watched him break into the first team after Martial's injury with a brilliant brace against FC Midtjylland, which he followed up with another brace against Arsenal in the Premier League.
At that moment, I knew that we had a brilliant player on our hands. And we did. But at some point, that stopped being the case. A back injury here, a shoulder injury there, an ankle injury here and suddenly Rashford stopped being the brilliant player we had known him to be. Like his mind and heart was not at Old Trafford anymore.
Many fans of the club blamed him for this, but I felt and thought different. Fans easily forget that the players are also human beings. So, when the media wrote hit piece after hit piece (prompted by the free meals program Rashford had started), the lack of backing from the club and the support base must have stung him. He was all alone against the vicious politicians who had felt called out and sought to soil his image.
Then Amorim arrived. A young successful manager who had backed himself to bring Man United back to the top, but made one fatal mistake that destroyed his credibility in the dressing room. He tried to subdue Rashford and Mainoo and bring them to heel like you would a wild horse. Suggesting that he would prefer to play his physically handicapped goal keeper coach over Rashford was the final straw. Even I couldn't believe that level of disrespect. Rashford, understandably, decided to leave the club and play where he was wanted. Where he was needed.
When he left, I thought it was the last time I would see him in Man United colors. But it would seem that his United story has not reached its conclusion just yet.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see him back at the club again playing under a manager who has said that he values him. Playing under a manager who coached him during one of his most productive seasons alongside Anthony Martial.
Tomorrow vs Leeds, we could see him walk onto the pitch for his first minutes under Carrick. Over the weekend, we could see him play 60 minutes against the man who nearly ended his boyhood dream of retiring at Old Trafford, alongside Mainoo, of course.
Ohh, what a week this promises to be. We will be there! WE WILL BE THERE!
