Man Utd verdict on Rashford move to Arsenal as striker 'excited' by Carrick link-up

Marcus Rashford is facing the prospect of fighting for a place in the Manchester United side with the club not willing to let him go to Arsenal or another Premier League rival.

There are reports that he is "excited" by the challenge of working with manager Michael Carrick having joined the team as they continue their preseason in Ireland.

Uncertainty continues over his future suggesting a move is still on the cards with nothing official coming from the club.

A swap with Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly has been rumoured but this appears unlikely with Jim Ratcliffe not happy with seeing Rashford go to a rival.

Rashford had hoped to join Barcelona permanently following a successful loan but they opted against activating the buy-option included in his temporary deal.

The La Liga giants have since signed Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi and are set to sell Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain.

That transfer could re-open the door for Barca to sign Rashford but in the meantime, he will be working under Carrick, who featured in his United debut back in February 2016.

According to The Athletic, Rashford is said to be excited with the chance to be coached by his former teammate.

Looking to the upcoming preseason friendlies, he is unlikely to feature prominently against either Leeds United and AC Milan, having just returned to training.

But Rashford could certainly play a role in their final two friendlies before their competitive campaign starts against Hull City next Saturday.

Arsenal want to sign a new left-winger while United are looking at a midfielder and left-back, which has led to the talk of a swap involving Lewis-Skully.

And ex-Arsenal defender Lee Dixon believes it would be a good deal.

He told BestBettingSites: "Would I swap them (Myles Lewis Skelly and Marcus Rashford)? You know what, I probably would. And that's nothing against Myles Lewis-Skelly; it's about giving him the freedom to go and expand his game elsewhere.

"With Marcus Rashford, he's a player who needs an arm around his shoulder, and Arteta would be great for him. Give him that love, give him the freedom to play on that left side, and yeah, I'd like to see him in an Arsenal shirt.

"I have my reservations about whether he's consistently a top-class player, but based on what Arsenal have in the squad now, he'd be a good addition."