--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-08-24T05:56:43.278Z last_updated: 2026-08-24T04:00:00+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/manchester-united/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFuY2hlc3RlcmV2ZW5pbmduZXdzLmNvLnVrL3Nwb3J0L2Zvb3RiYWxsL21hbmNoZXN0ZXItdW5pdGVkLXNob3VsZC1zb21ldGhpbmctdW50aGlua2FibGUtMzQ1MDQwOTA --- # Manchester United should do something that was unthinkable not long ago - **Source:** - **Published:** 24 Aug - **Club:** Manchester United - **Original URL:** https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester-united-should-something-unthinkable-34504090 The announcement that trains from Hull to Manchester had been cancelled only served to rub salt into already stinging wounds for the travelling army of United fans. There have been lower lows for United over the past few years, but Saturday was as seismic as they come in terms of reality checks. Get the best United news, updates and analysis straight to your Inbox courtesy of the Manchester Evening News! To get it, it's a simple one-two punch. United were both out-thought and outfought on Humberside. Hull's set-piece planning worked a treat and in Oli McBurnie they had the focal point that United were lacking. When Bruno Fernandes is taking pot shots from 30 yards out and Harry Maguire is embarking on marauding runs to try and add some urgency to your play, you know something has gone wrong. For all Michael Carrick was keen to stress he saw "a lot of good things" from his team, it was difficult to pick out too many positives. But Marcus Rashford's return to competitive United action did offer a slight glimmer of light. The former Barcelona loanee was introduced at half-time after a lethargic first-half showing from United. Carrick defended his call to hook Patrick Dorgu in place of Rashford, explaining he was "trying to do something a little bit different", but Rashford undoubtedly added more impetus to United's play. Not only did Rashford look more threatening than Dorgu had, his link-up play with Luke Shaw represented United's best opportunity of getting back into the game. The two struck up an excellent partnership on the left before Rashford was axed from the squad by Ruben Amorim, and you'd be forgiven for forgetting they hadn't played together in a competitive game for 20 months on Saturday's showing. Of course Rashford can bring a different type of threat to United's front line, but his ability to bring the best out of Shaw in an attacking sense shouldn't be overlooked. There is still a chance Rashford could be playing his football away from Old Trafford by the time the transfer window closes, but you get the sense nobody in the dressing room, including Carrick, wants that to happen. With the iconic No.9 shirt on his back, Rashford looks ready to make his mark back at his boyhood club. One of the buzzwords of Carrick's time in charge has been 'consistency' - whether that be in relation to United's performances or his approach to dealing with media commitments - and consistency is something Rashford has sadly lacked throughout his career. But under Carrick there is a very real hope he can return to his best and continue to produce performances that everyone at the club knows he can. The clash with Ipswich this weekend represents a real test for Carrick in just United's second game of the season. Nobody is reaching for the panic button just yet, but Carrick knows better than most that you're never more than a couple of games away from a crisis at United, and defeat on Sunday would be a dreadful look when so many tipped United to take maximum points from their first two outings. Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez will be in contention to start with another week of training under their belt following their delayed return post-World Cup. Rashford has now played more minutes since his return than both Mainoo and Martinez. It's time for Carrick to throw him into the starting XI. United need a fast start on Sunday in front of their own fans after the dire defeat at Hull. If the reception Rashford received from the away fans on Saturday is anything to go by, he will be welcomed back to Old Trafford with open arms against Ipswich and that could be the fillip United need in a game they dare not lose. Thirteen months on from his move to Barcelona and with his No.10 jersey passed on to Matheus Cunha, the only chance of Rashford ever lining up at Old Trafford again looked to be in the colours of an opposition team. On Sunday he will return to Old Trafford in the red of United wearing the No.9, and he might just be in the starting XI. Now that's a rollercoaster ride.