Marcus Rashford is a big name player who would represent a coup for an Italian club looking to acquire him, and AC Milan’s interest is on one level, understandable.
From another perspective, it does not make much sense at all, with Rashford’s fit for AC Milan’s current squad deemed as questionable.
This relates to Rashford potentially doubling up with AC Milan’s best attacker, Rafael Leao, who also prefers to play from the left flank.
As we have seen in Spain with Real Madrid this season, simply adding in a star name like Kylian Mbappe does not necessarily make a team better. Mbappe’s preferred position from the left is the one Vinicius Jr. likes to play in, and it has been a challenge for the La Liga side to fit both in.
Marcus Rashford is being seen as a luxury signing for AC Milan, with Sky Sport Italia’s Maurizio Compagnoni questioning the deal.
He was quoted via Milan News: “Rashford plays consistently on the left, where Leao plays. What does that have to do with Milan? It would be a very unusual operation.
“The player is potentially very strong, but it is true that he has sometimes played as a right winger, it is true that he has sometimes played as a centre forward, but if you ask me “What is Rashford’s role?” I answer “Forward, left winger”, that is, the same role as Leao”.
He adds that he is also unconvinced over Rashford’s ability to line up as a centre-forward: “You can try, but it’s not like he’s done great things as a centre-forward. However, he’s played there a few times. Rashford would be a gamble. Maybe he’ll succeed.
“Rashford is potentially very strong. It’s just that his performances in recent seasons, except for a few moments, have been disappointing. I repeat, he’s an intriguing gamble, fascinating.”
Whether Milan take that gamble comes down to it working financially for them – and it sums up the troubles Manchester United are experiencing in terms of trying to land a fee for one of the club’s highest earners.
For a team like Milan to commit wholeheartedly to the deal, they need to be totally convinced it is the right move, and there are plenty of reasons to be doubtful that this particular move goes ahead.