Marcus Rashford has returned to Manchester United training ahead of their penultimate Premier League match of the season against Chelsea.
The England forward looks set to be fit and available for Thursday night’s rescheduled clash at Old Trafford, having been put through his paces by manager Erik ten Hag at Carrington on Tuesday.
United also host Fulham on the final day of the season this weekend and, following their narrow win at Bournemouth last time out coupled with chasing Liverpool’s draw with Aston Villa, need just a point from those two home fixtures to guarantee a top-four finish and return to the Champions League next term.
The return of Rashford will be a huge boost for Ten Hag, having missed the recent win over Wolves having initially picked up a leg injury in the loss at West Ham on May 7.
He looked set to return against Bournemouth, only to then be ruled out of the trip to the south coast, which United won 1-0 thanks to Casemiro’s overhead kick, through illness.
The Red Devils also contest an all-Manchester FA Cup final against top-flight champions City at Wembley on June 3.
“Rashy, he trained the whole week but, today, he reported he doesn't feel well so he's ill,” Ten Hag said on Friday. “We have to see how he recovers during the day and then see tomorrow.”
Rashford has enjoyed an excellent 2022-23 campaign to date, scoring 29 times in 53 appearances across all competitions. He needs just one more to become the first United player to hit 30 in a single season since Robin van Persie in 2012-13, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge.
United remain without several players for the final three games of the season, including long-term absentee Lisandro Martinez and midfield duo Marcel Sabitzer and Donny van de Beek, who was back on the grass at Carrington last week.
