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AJ Handley-Rowe -
10th November 2021
AJ Handley-Rowe -
10th November 2021 New number ‘confirmed’ as Marcus Rashford returns to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Against the odds and the transfer gods, local lad Marcus Rashford has officially rejoined Manchester United for pre-season, and it looks as though his new shirt number has been revealed.
It’s one with a fair bit of significance for a couple of reasons, too.
Yes, despite it looking nailed on for Rashford to have all but left Man United ‘for good’ following two loan stints at Aston Villa and a successful spell at FC Barcelona last term, the Wythenshawe winger has returned to Carrington and now looks set to be reintegrated into the squad.
Just goes to show that besides the Red Devils having seen plenty of sagas in their time, anything can happen in a transfer window.
Marcus Rashford is back at Carrington 😍❤️ pic.twitter.com/a4HYvzeRNq
— utdreport (@utdreport) August 9, 2026
As you can see, the homegrown United academy product turned first-team star and England international was spotted driving into the team’s training complex to link back up with his former teammates and, indeed, some new faces since he left.
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The last time Rashford played for his boyhood and still parent club was back in December 2024, and his most recent loan deal to Barcelona was expected to be made permanent provided he performed well – which, with 14 goals and 10 assists, he did.
Plenty of Barca fans were more eager to see him join his self-proclaimed dream destination full-time, too.
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However, not only were the Catalan giants ultimately unwilling to pay the estimated €30 million transfer fee for his services – not to mention his significant wage demands – but after they decided to sign Newcastle and fellow Three Lions attacker Anthony Gordon in a similar position, it never came to fruition.
Now seemingly set to be given another chance in the senior setup and a chance at getting into the first-team squad under Michael Carrick, who has seen every up and down of Rashford’s time at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’; he’s also set to carry on wearing the same shirt number he did for the ‘Blaugrana’.
Reportedly set to take the vacant #14 jersey, which has been free since Christian Eriksen left the club in May 2025, it provides some kind of continuity from his fruitful chapter away from home.
Not only did Rashford supposedly select the shirt while in Spain due to his admiration for Thierry Henry, who famously shared a similar kind of inside forward role throughout his career, but it’s been noted by many fans that it’s also the same number his best mate Jesse Lingard used to wear.
While it remains to be seen how happy the 28-year-old is to have ended up back at Old Trafford, this has at least served as a nice little full-circle coincidence for some supporters.
As for the apparent reintegration process itself – what do you make of it, Reds: are you among those glad to see him back in United colours, or do you think he should still look at a move away from the club in the near future?
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Featured Images — @rachaelandimogenmufc (via TikTok)/Bryan Berlin (via WikiPortaits)
Bury man jailed for life after being found guilty of murder at New Year’s Eve party
Emily Sergeant
A man has been handed a life sentence following the murder of another man at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Bury.
Antony Junior Murray, aged 25 of Tarn Drive in Bury, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week (7 August) where he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years after being found guilty of murder.
It follows the death of 23-year-old Joe Burton on New Year’s Eve last year.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that emergency services were called to reports of a disturbance at an address on Tarn Drive at approximately 11:56pm on New Year’s Eve (31 December 2025), and upon arrival, officers discovered Joe ‘unresponsive’ at the bottom of a staircase with a significant amount of blood around him.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Joe was pronounced dead at 12:43am on New Year’s Day (1 January 2026).
A post-mortem examination later confirmed he had died from a single stab wound to the back.
At the scene, Murray initially denied any involvement and claimed he had returned home from a pub to find the victim unresponsive, however officers quickly identified inconsistencies in his account.
Initial enquiries – including phone and location data – showed that Murray had been at the address throughout the evening.
Joe had been in a relationship with Murray’s sister and had been invited to the address earlier that evening, and then further investigation revealed that Murray, Murray’s sister, the victim. and another individual had been at the property together, drinking and setting off fireworks to see in the New Year.
CCTV footage recovered from the scene captured the events leading up to the incident, including the fatal attack, and showed Murray assaulting Joe and placing him in a headlock, before proceeding to stab him in the back.
Following a detailed police investigation, Murray was charged with murder and was subsequently found guilty at court.
“Murray carried out a brutal attack on Joe and then attempted to mislead officers about his involvement,” explained Duncan Thorpe, who was the Senior Investigating Officer on the case.
Read more:
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“Thanks to the thorough and diligent work of the investigation team, we were able to piece together the evidence and ensure he faced justice.
“While no sentence can ever make up for the loss of Joe, we hope today’s outcome brings some closure to those who knew and loved him.”
Featured Image – GMP
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