Wayne Rooney's Challenge to Marcus Rashford: Rediscovering Hunger at Manchester United

Wayne Rooney believes Marcus Rashford is the only player capable of breaking his Manchester United goals record – but only if the forward rediscovers his hunger for the club.

Rooney, who hit 253 goals for United, used his new podcast, Stick to United, to issue a blunt challenge to Rashford as the 28-year-old prepares for what feels like a second chance at Old Trafford.

Rashford is back in the fold after Barcelona declined to turn last season’s loan into a permanent deal. He has linked up with Michael Carrick’s squad in pre-season, with his United future suddenly back on the table following temporary spells at Aston Villa and the Nou Camp.

Rooney didn’t question the talent. He questioned everything around it.

"It’s just such a strange one with Marcus because I think we know he’s got the ability. I think he’s shown that," Rooney said. "For me, has he got the hunger, does he want to play for Manchester United?"

Rooney drew on his own experience from 2010, when he asked to leave United, to spell out what Rashford must do if he is serious about staying.

"Now, if he wants to play for Manchester United, I think the first thing he has to do – I’ve been there in 2010 when I asked to leave the football club – he has to build a relationship with the fans," Rooney explained.

"The easiest way to do that is to work hard and body language. I think Marcus’ body language isn’t great, and so it might be something he has to work on. He might have to work with someone to make his body language look better."

The criticism didn’t stop there. Rooney insisted Rashford’s work off the ball must match his talent on it.

"I think his work rate has to improve, but if he wants to be at the football club, he just needs to knuckle down," he said. "You do it, and he’s a young lad. He’s from Manchester. He’s the one player who can go and get my goalscoring record."

Rashford currently sits 15th on United’s all-time scoring list with 138 goals, his last appearance for the club coming in December 2024 after he fell out of favour under then-manager Ruben Amorim. That slump triggered the loans to Villa Park and Barcelona, where he showed flashes of his old self but never did enough to force a permanent exit from Old Trafford.

Rooney made it clear he does not want Rashford’s renaissance to happen anywhere else.

"I don’t want to see Marcus Rashford doing well at Aston Villa or doing well at Barcelona," he said. "I want to see him doing well at Manchester United and scoring goals for Manchester United. But that means he has to just get his head down, work his socks off, and then be more positive."

The message was as much about Rashford’s surroundings as his performances. Rooney urged him to strip things back and focus on a tight inner circle.

"But it’s on him. If he’s back playing for Manchester United, I think he has to have a real close look at who’s round him," Rooney continued. "Only he can say who the people are around him who he really trusts. Because there’s not many people you trust really. It’d be a small amount of people, keep them close to him, go into training, work hard, get himself right. If he does that, he’ll be fine."

The record is there. The stage is there. Rooney has laid down the challenge. Now Rashford has to decide how badly he wants it.