Marcus Rashford has the chance to write a new chapter at Manchester United, says Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney believes Marcus Rashford can still become Manchester United’s record goalscorer, but says the forward must decide for himself whether he truly wants to succeed at the club and be prepared to work for it.

Rooney, who scored 253 goals for Manchester United, says Rashford is the only current player capable of surpassing his long-standing record. However, he has challenged the 27-year-old to rebuild his relationship with the supporters through greater effort and a more positive attitude.

Speaking on Stick to United, a new podcast hosted by Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer alongside football content creator Mark Goldbridge, Rooney said: “The thing with Marcus is strange, because we know he has the ability, and he has shown that already. But the question is: does he have the desire? Does he actually want to play for Manchester United?”

Rashford returned to Manchester United hoping for a fresh start after Barcelona decided not to turn his previous loan into a permanent transfer. He is now included in Michael Carrick’s plans for pre-season and is expected to have another opportunity to revive his career at Old Trafford.

Rooney believes that opportunity will depend largely on Rashford’s own approach.

“If he wants to continue with the club, he first has to build a new relationship with the fans,” Rooney added. “The easiest way to do that is through hard work and improving his body language, because his body language is not good at the moment, and perhaps he needs to work with someone who can help him improve it.”

The former England captain also called on Rashford to increase his level of effort, while pointing to the player’s age and Manchester background as reasons why he could still have a significant future with the club.

“He has to raise his work-rate, but he is still young, and he comes from Manchester,” said Rooney. “That is why I see him as the only player capable of breaking my scoring record at United.”

Rashford is currently 15th on Manchester United’s all-time goalscoring list, with 138 goals. He has not played for the club since December 2024, when he fell out of favour with former manager Ruben Amorim.

The forward subsequently spent time on loan at Aston Villa and Barcelona. Rooney said he did not want to see Rashford enjoy success elsewhere while struggling to re-establish himself at Manchester United.

“I do not want to see Marcus performing well for Aston Villa or Barcelona,” Rooney said. “I want him to succeed and score goals for Manchester United, but that requires him to put his head down, work as hard as possible and become more positive.”

Rooney also advised Rashford to reconsider the people around him and focus on his daily responsibilities at the club.

“He needs to look carefully at the people he trusts, because there will not be many of them,” Rooney said. “He must keep those close to him, go into training, work hard, regain his fitness, and if he does that, he will be fine.”

Rashford’s next chance to change perceptions at Manchester United will come during the current season, when he aims to make the most of his renewed involvement under Carrick.