Pep Guardiola Was Desperate to Sign This Man Utd Star for Man City—'I'd Take Him Tomorrow'

Pep Guardiola would have snapped up Marcus Rashford for Manchester City without hesitation. The disclosure comes from former Manchester United player and coach Ryan Giggs, who was seated next to the Spaniard at a dinner hosted by Sir Alex Ferguson "eight or nine" years ago.

This was around the period when Rashford was still in the early stages of his career and Guardiola had only recently taken charge of the Manchester City dugout.

Giggs, who served as assistant manager under Louis van Gaal when Rashford made his debut in February 2016 but departed Old Trafford shortly afterward, asked Guardiola directly, "Who do you like at United?"

He recalled the exchange on Rio Ferdinand Presents: The Debrief.

Guardiola initially prompted Giggs to guess the answer, but it turned out to be neither of the players the retired winger had in mind: David de Gea or Luke Shaw.

"He said, 'The best player at Man Utd [is] Marcus Rashford. I would take him tomorrow.'"

Giggs expressed surprise at the response: "What's [Guardiola] seeing? And that was obviously as a center forward," referring to Rashford's early breakthrough as a stand-in for the injured Anthony Martial.

Marcus Rashford the Man City Player

Giggs posed the question out of hypothetical curiosity and Guardiola answered it in that spirit, with no realistic prospect of Rashford ever crossing the Manchester divide. Yet it's fascinating to consider what his career trajectory might have looked like had "tomorrow" ever materialized and the player actually pulled on a sky blue shirt at that point.

Nine years ago places us in 2017, when Manchester City were embarking on a historic campaign in which the club became the first top-flight side in English football history to accumulate 100 points.

City's striking options were Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus, who combined for 47 goals throughout the season. Raheem Sterling led the left wing, with Leroy Sané on the right, bolstered by new arrival Bernardo Silva. Guardiola also introduced a 17-year-old Phil Foden during that campaign.

Foden is perhaps the defining example of Guardiola's capacity to nurture young talent, and Rashford could well have thrived under the same kind of guidance from someone widely considered one of the greatest managers the game has ever seen.

Across Guardiola's 10 seasons in Manchester, City claimed six Premier League titles. Rashford, as evidenced by his later 20-plus and 30-goal campaigns at United, had the quality to have contributed meaningfully in such a setup. He would also have been young enough to have been involved throughout.

However, there is always another side to weigh up. Forwards rarely enjoyed long tenures under Guardiola, who showed a ruthless readiness to upgrade, with City's most enduring servants typically coming from midfield or defence. Even Agüero, a club legend inherited by Guardiola, only enjoyed three strong years under him before injuries and age diminished his effectiveness, making him expendable by 32.

Foden is the outlier, though he has arguably underperformed — relative to his own high standards — over the past two seasons, and perhaps benefits from a degree of patience as a symbol of homegrown talent.

Silva remained for nine years by successfully transitioning into a deeper role, but Sterling was sold seemingly at the height of his powers, aged 27. City cashed in on Sané after just four seasons, at 24, and moved on from Ferran Torres within a brief 18-month spell. Jesus departed in 2022, sold to Arsenal at a profit and never quite recaptured his best form thereafter.

How Rashford Can Become a Man Utd 'Superstar' Again

Rashford's return to Manchester United this season was not the anticipated route, but it is the one that has unfolded, and the early indications are encouraging. To date, the 28-year-old has started twice and came on at halftime in the one match he began from the bench. He poses a clear danger down the left flank.

Rashford has yet to register a goal or assist, but Giggs believes the key to winning back Manchester United supporters is demonstrating the work rate that manager Ruben Amorim publicly questioned.

"Assists, goals," matter greatly. "But also you need to do [what] will get the fans [on board]. Forget the other stuff, they'll forgive you for dribbling and getting tackled or hitting a shot over—not all the time, obviously. But they won't forgive you for not tracking back.

"I love Marcus and I want him to do well. I wasn't sure if it was right for him to come back because … just the whole hype. But he's got the talent. He was running at players. He was tracking back. [In] games, just do that. Do that for a season. You will be a superstar."

Giggs made 963 appearances for United between 1991 and 2014, a club record that is unlikely ever to be surpassed, and therefore understands better than most what the supporters value and respond to.

"I can't tell you how important that tracking back and winning that tackle is," he emphasized. "As a winger for Man Utd, the crowd will go mad. The crowd will be back on your side. You haven't touched the ball for 10 minutes and you track back and win a tackle. It's huge."

Rashford possesses enough ability that if he gets this aspect right, everything else should naturally follow.