"Manchester United had direct contact with Rashford camp, amicable talks with #MUFC. Man Utd open to welcoming Rashford back to training and Marcus open to start pre-season under Carrick. No guarantee he stays yet with eventual bids to be considered later on but important step to rebuild trust."
This is coming from Fabrizio Romano this morning.
I guess the longer things took on his uncertain future, the more likely we were to end up in this position where a potential return to Old Trafford is on the cards.
This one is confusing me.
I've said on many occasions that I don't want Rashford back. Not because he's a bad player but it just feels like this chapter is closed, you know?
He clearly wanted to stay at Barcelona and he previously said that he wanted a new challenge.
I don't doubt his love for United but him moving on felt like the right decision for all parties.
But I feel him staying doesn't make that much sense.
While we do need a LW and Rashy is low-key one of the best out there, how would he fit into this team?
Matheus Cunha plays in that position and has done relatively well. Patrick Dorgu has also shown that perhaps his best position is as a left-winger.
So if that spot is already taken by two players and Rashford doesn't really work too well anywhere else, then it could create some problems.
People will bring up squad depth and while that is true, does Rashford come across as a squad player?
He's too good to be one. He's too good to be on the bench and backup to the likes of Cunha, Dorgu, or even Amad and Bryan Mbeumo on the right. Rashford can play up front as a false 9 but that doesn't get the best out of him. United would probably ideally want an actual striker to play second fiddle to Benjamin Sesko or potentially give him proper competition.
Rashford does neither of these things.
I gather that he would also be too expensive to sit on the bench for a decent period of time.
What does all this say about Michael Carrick as well?
I can understand from Rashford's point of view why he would be open to returning but why would Carrick want him?
As mentioned, there are more reasons to move him on than keep him. Hell, even his number is taken as Cunha wear the no 10 jersey.
When I think that the manager may want him back, it says to me that Carrick directly or indirectly, would be getting the band back together.
For a while, I've had this uneasy feeling that he too has his favourties.
That is fine but when the favourites could be the same as previous managers, then I think we stumble onto a problem.
Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot are three players I believe are high in favour with Carrick.
Some wouldn't have a problem with that because they didn't perform too badly during the manager's first six months.
However, these were some of the core players that were part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's favourite group of players. Along with Fred, Victor Lindelof and Scott McTominay, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot were part of that bunch.
I believe this led to the Norwegian's downfall.
And what concerns me with Carrick is that if you look at the win over Brighton in our final game of the season, Carrick kept Maguire on the field despite Leny Yoro being substituted on. Lisandro Martinez also remained on the pitch to be sure, but why would he play three centre-backs in a game where we were already winning 3-0?
I didn't actually see the need for either of Martinez or Maguire to play all game or indeed, even start that match considering the Champions League qualification goal was hit. The butcher also had the World Cup coming up and the last thing he would've wanted was to pick up an injury.
If Rashford comes back, I can see him having this same favourable treatment, just like he did under Solskjaer and Carrick.
He's also a big name player and Carrick hasn't really indicated that if certain players aren't performing - big names or not - he will drop them.
We want to move away from the previous Man Utd, the one we've known for over the past decade. INEOS are also relatively new at the club as co-owners despite being in charge of football operations for around three years.
Given the promises they've made about how they want to win the title in the next couple of years, I feel we cannot be going back to a period that was largely unsuccessful.
This for me, means moving away from those players who were part of that failed era.
Rashford is one of them.
Keeping him just feels like holding onto the past when all that brings is bad memories.
There's nothing left for him here. Everyone's moved on.
I don't see this as a positive update. In fact, it concerns me a little.
Would you take Rashy back? Or do we need to move on?
Both Marcus Rashford and Michael Carrick would be open to player returning to Man Utd | Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images via United In Focus