Marcus Rashford appears to aim dig at Man Utd after receiving England World Cup call-up

Marcus Rashford has reacted to his England World Cup call-up by thanking those who have believed in him when "things got tough", but there is a noticeable exception in his statement.

The 28-year-old, who is currently on a season-long loan at Barcelona from Manchester United, has enjoyed a superb campaign with the recently-crowned La Liga champions, scoring 14 goals in all competitions.

Barca are yet to activate the £26 million option to buy in their loan agreement to sign Rashford on a permanent deal, but it appears an Old Trafford exit is on the horizon.

In fact, Rashford's fractured relationship with his boyhood club appears to be at an all-time low after he failed to mention United in his latest post on social media.

Shortly after being named in Thomas Tuchel's 26-man England squad for the World Cup, he singled out Unai Emery, Hansi Flick, Thomas Tuchel, Aston Villa, Barcelona and England for "believing in me when things got tough."

Of course, his decision to leave out parent club Manchester United has got people talking.

Rashford's post after he was called up to play for England at the 2026 World Cup. Image credit: Instagram/marcusrashford

In a separate post on Instagram, Rashford delivered an emotional statement following the news of his call-up.

"Today marks a full-circle moment for me, from despair to jubilation," he wrote. "Missing out on that Euros squad helped me grow both as a player and a person, and most importantly, gave me a goal to work towards."

He added: "Thank you so much for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to pull on the shirt at the World Cup."

Rashford's future is still uncertain ahead of summer window

Michael Carrick recently said that no decision has been made on the future of Rashford, who has not closed the door on returning to Old Trafford either.

Speaking in April, the United manager said: "There's decisions to be made on certain things, and obviously Marcus is in that situation. But at this point in time, nothing's been decided. It will be, because it has to be at a certain point, but at this stage, there's nothing to say."

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After winning La Liga with Barcelona, Rashford was asked about his future but remained non-committal.

“This is the perfect way I want it to end," he said, after scoring in the Classico. "I’m very happy, I just want to enjoy today. I live in the moment. At the end of the season we will see."

Thomas Tuchel has always been a huge fan of Rashford

Back in March last year, Rashford was named in Thomas Tuchel's first squad as England manager – his first call-up in 12 months – and the forward has featured in all but one of the squads since.

Tuchel has consistently backed Rashford over the past year. Image credit: Getty

A few months later, Tuchel claimed Rashford has the potential to become one of the best forwards in world football.

"He can be one of the best in the world because the finishing and the quality I see in training, with both legs and his head, he is explosive, he is fast, he is strong in the air, so for him there are no limits," Tuchel said.

"But the numbers don't reach the potential. He needs to push himself with goal involvements. He knows that from me.

"I think he still has to make these decisions. He is still young enough to make these decisions, because otherwise he might be disappointed in 10 years with what he could have been and what he may have done.

"That is the headline for him, to keep pushing himself to the limit. And the limit for him is very, very high, maybe higher than it is for others."