Louis Van Gaal Picks Manchester United Star Who Could Leave Old Trafford In Future

Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has said Marcus Rashford is keeping his options open and could leave the Old Trafford side at some point.

Rashford scored a brace in Manchester United's 3-2 win over Sheffield United in the 2020-21 Premier League last week. The 23-year-old forward scored 12 goals in the ongoing season, across all competitions. Rashford, who kickstarted his senior career with the Red Devils in 2015, has netted 79 goals in 235 competitive appearances for his side.

Manchester United are reportedly planning to offer a lucrative contract extension to Rashford as a reward for his consistently impressive performances. Earlier, the player admitted that he sees his "long-term" future in Manchester.

"For me, I never look beyond Manchester United. As a kid, I never looked beyond Manchester United. In my mind, it wouldn't sit right for me to be pulling on another shirt. I just want to do my best for the club while I'm here. Long term hopefully," said Rashford.

Referring to Rashford's interview, Van Gaal – under whose management the player made his first-team debut for Manchester United in 2015 – said the forward did not mention that he would "never play for another club".

"I admire him for being such an honest and pure guy. He comes from an area where things are tough. And the way he is fighting for less privileged kids is wonderful. He does a lot of stuff for the community. He is a great lad. I enjoyed listening to him when he said he hopes to play at United for a long, long time. But I listened carefully. And he did not say he would never play for another club," Van Gaal said in a recent interview, Goal reported.

While the Dutch manager praised Rashford, saying he has improved his all-round game, Van Gaal believes Rashford can still develop, especially when it comes to getting his head up in the final third of the pitch.

"When I first saw him, he was an old fashioned dribbler. That is how he played in the reserves. He would take people on all the time, go past them with lovely dribbles. And he still loves to do that. But he is now growing as a top player. He knows when he can’t make his dribbles, he needs to pass," added Van Gaal.