Man Utd have summer plans for loaned-out star as they look to prise ‘new Xabi Alonso’ | OneFootball

Manchester United are reportedly looking to utilise Marcus Rashford as a makeweight in their attempts to lure Aleksandar Pavlovic.

The 20-year-old is a youth product of Bayern Munich who has now cemented himself as protagonist with the first team. He was one of the best revelations last season under Thomas Tuchel, and he’s still producing the goods with Vicent Kompany in charge.

The Germany international is a defensive midfielder blessed with great vision and a remarkable ability to advance the play by picking up a teammate with a vertical pass. Hence, the deep-lying playmaker has been recently compared to Xabi Alonso by Bayern’s president Herbert Heiner.

So according to CaughtOffside, United have identified Pavlovic as the right profile to build Ruben Amorim’s midfield around.

However, the Red Devils’ recruitment team no longer enjoy the seemingly endless transfer resources they had been afforded in recent years, especially with the club set to miss out on the Champions League next (unless they clinch the Europa League).

Man United want to include Marcus Rashford in swap deal for Aleksandar Pavlovic

(Getty Images)

Therefore, the falling Premier League giants will be looking to lower the cost of the operation by offering the services of Rashford in return.

The England international completed a loan switch to Aston Villa after being infamously omitted from Amorim’s plans in December. The Villains have the option to maintain the 27-year-old on a permanent basis by splashing £40 million at the end of the season, but it remains unclear if they’re going to exercise this clause or waive it and ship the striker back to Carrington.

But one thing is clear: Rashford is highly unlikely to play another game for United as long as the Portuguese coach is calling the shots at the club, especially following some of the harsh comments he made towards the England international.