'There is nothing to celebrate when United cash in on a hitherto one-club man, but they have to

LITTLE that Dan Ashworth said or did has aged well at United but one quote endures.

- SAMUEL LUCKHURST

"I've seen this written before, I'm not saying anything new," he protested in the Old Trafford boardroom in September.

"The number of players that will be one-club players there for a long, long period of time, I think it's probably changing within the game and that's an unintended consequence of the rules and regulations."

Marcus Rashford, once seemingly destined to be a one-club man in the mould of Giggs, Scholes or Neville, will be finding a new club soon.

It has to be next month.

Rashford could have ploughed on after his derby day omission, trained harder and played a part in a League Cup semi-final on Thursday. But he told Henry Winter: "For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps." That was in direct response to the query whether he was staying or going.

Winter has interviewed Rashford before. There is an established relationship. There is nothing ambiguous about Rashford's on-the-record comment.

That settles matters. Ruben Amorim should not consider Rashford for selection ahead of an intended transfer next month. It is in the best interests of all parties that Rashford finds a change of scenery. It has been in his best interests for nearly a year.

United ought to have had an inkling this was coming. Rashford's PR is handled by the same woman who is still involved with Cristiano Ronaldo. Silence is not always golden with her clients.