Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United return came in a dismal defeat to Hull City but the forward believes the team can use it as a building block for the rest of the campaign. England ace Rashford came off the bench against the play-off champions but could not navigate Michael Carrick’s side away from defeat.

The Red Devils fell to a 2-0 defeat courtesy of goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy. Rashford was introduced after half-time at the MKM stadium but could not reduce the deficit.

Despite having been widely anticipated to leave Old Trafford after his loan stint with Barcelona, it seems the 28-year-old remains a part of Michael Carrick’s plans. The Catalan club decided against triggering the option to sign Rashford permanently, and no other team has swooped in to pay the fee that United require for his services.

Instead, Rashford, who is under contract until 2028, has been awarded the No.9 shirt. The 28-year-old’s appearance came more than 18 months after his last competitive outing for the club, against Viktoria Plzen in December 2024.
“After 618 days, I’m back playing with United. I wish the result were better, but it’s something we can improve on,” Rashford wrote on Instagram after the defeat.

Lisandro Martinez, Bryan Mbeumo, Diogo Dalot and Andre Onana were among the United players who liked the post.
Rashford came on for Patrick Dorgu after 45 minutes against Hull. The Denmark international, who arrived initially as a wing-back, was deployed in a more attacking role by Carrick once more but endured a challenging afternoon.
Carrick had nothing but praise for the player he substituted, though. “Pat’s fine, we love him to bits. He’s a fantastic player, Pat. He’s a great character,” Carrick said after the match.