Over the past few years, Mikel Arteta has increasingly been linked with a move to bring Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford to Arsenal.
In the summer, Arsenal were put off by Rashford’s wages, a deal that seems to be consistently considered in north London.
As the saying goes, there’s rarely smoke without fire, and many feel as if Arteta may personally be pushing the interest.
Perhaps the Arsenal manager feels as if he could repeat his Kai Havertz trick when turning his career around after signing him from Chelsea.
Havertz wasn’t poor by any means in west London, but he’s certainly improved for club and country since.
Likewise, Rashford has his moments at Old Trafford, but at 27-years-old, it feels as if his talent and potential is still mostly being wasted.
Man United put Marcus Rashford up for sale amid Arsenal interest
That being said, Telegraph Sport have just shared a report detailing that United are considering offloading Rashford because of his ‘concerning’ lifestyle away from the pitch.
United were open to selling Rashford in the summer and remain ‘receptive’ to any offers in future windows.
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Of course, that’ll prompt a lot of Arsenal fans to suggest that it’s time for Arteta to take a gamble to reinvigorate his often uninspiring attack.
Rashford has a stunning record against Arsenal and there’s evidently a lot of talent there, it’s just whether Arteta feels as if he could improve the situation outlined above.
It might be too simplistic to suggest that the England international needs a change of scenery, a decision that Arteta will be better placed to make.
But judging by Arsene Wenger’s words back in 2016, the talent could be worth the risk.
Arsene Wenger was surprised by how good Marcus Rashford was
Following a 3-2 defeat to United in which Rashford scored two goals, Wenger made an immediate prediction about the forward, tipping him for big things.
Wenger was surprised by Rashford’s quality, a player he tipped to succeed at Old Trafford based on first viewing.
Wenger said: “The player who was surprising for me talent-wise was Rashford because of the timing of his movement and his intelligence.
“His movement in the box was great and he could be a very positive surprise for Manchester United on what I’ve seen today.”
Of course, many still feel as if that talent is ready and waiting to harvest, and whilst it could also end horribly, Arteta might have the courage to take the risk at the Emirates Stadium.
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