Carrick has announced that Marcus Rashford will rejoin the Manchester United squad for their trip to the Republic of Ireland.
Rashford, along with England colleague Kobbie Mainoo and Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez, are the last three United players to return following the World Cup.
Few expected Rashford to come back after he joined Barcelona on loan in July 2025, but the La Liga champions opted not to activate a £26m option to buy the 28-year-old at season’s end.
Despite outside interest, no transfer has materialised, so Rashford will head back to United for the first time since January 2025, when he left for Aston Villa after a fallout with former manager Ruben Amorim.
United are based at the upscale Carton House hotel in Maynooth and play Leeds United in a friendly at Croke Park on 12 August.
They finish pre-season against Amorim’s new club, AC Milan, in Wroclaw on 15 August. If Carrick feels Wednesday comes too soon, that game could be Rashford’s first United appearance since December 2024.
Given Carrick’s history with Rashford as a former team-mate, coach and now manager, many believe he’s best placed to repair the relationship—especially after the number 10 shirt was handed to Matheus Cunha, who is expected to travel after a minor injury kept him out in Gothenburg.
“I played alongside him, including on his debut, so we go back a long way,” Carrick said.
“We’ll have a full squad in Dublin this week. We fly straight there and spend a few days with the whole group together. Marcus is part of that, as are Kobbie [Mainoo] and Lisandro [Martinez]. We’re looking forward to seeing them.”