‘I’d Take Him Tomorrow’—The Man Utd Player Pep Guardiola Wanted at Man City

Pep Guardiola would have signed Marcus Rashford for Manchester City in a heartbeat. The revelation comes from ex-Manchester United player and coach Ryan Giggs, who was seated beside the Spaniard at a dinner hosted by Sir Alex Ferguson “eight or nine” years ago.

This was around the time that Rashford was still in the infancy of his career and Guardiola had not long been in the Manchester City hotseat.

Giggs, who was assistant manager to Louis van Gaal when Rashford debuted in February 2016 but left Old Trafford soon after, asked Guardiola, point blank, “Who do you like at United?”

He recounted the conversation on Rio Ferdinand Presents: The Debrief.

Guardiola initially made Giggs guess the answer, but it wasn’t either of the players the retired winger thought: David de Gea or Luke Shaw.

“He said, ‘The best player at Man Utd [is] Marcus Rashford. I would take him tomorrow.’”

Giggs implied surprise at the answer: “What’s [Guardiola] seeing? And that was obviously as a center forward,” referencing Rashford’s initial burst as an injury replacement for Anthony Martial.

Marcus Rashford the Man City Player

Marcus Rashford vs. Man City, 2016 — Marcus Rashford scored a winning goal against Man City, aged 18. | Michael Regan/Getty Images

The question from Giggs was born out of hypothetical curiosity and Guardiola answered it as such, with no realistic chance that Rashford would ever have made the switch across Manchester. But it’s interesting to think what his career might have looked like had “tomorrow” ever arrived and the player actually ended up in a sky blue jersey at that time.

Nine years ago is 2017, as Manchester City were embarking on an historic season in which the club became the first top-flight team in English soccer history to achieve 100 points.

City’s No. 9 options were Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus, who scored 47 goals between them during the campaign. Raheem Sterling was the left-wing starter, with Leroy Sané on the right, supported by new signing Bernardo Silva. Guardiola also debuted a 17-year-old Phil Foden.

Foden is perhaps the archetypal example of Guardiola’s ability to develop young players and Rashford could well have benefited from the same kind of exposure to someone generally regarded as one of the greatest managers in history.

In Guardiola’s 10 seasons in Manchester, City won six Premier League titles. Rashford, as shown in later 20+ and 30-goal seasons with United, has the ability to have been productive in a team like that. He remains young enough to have been part of it all, too.

But there is always a flipside to consider. Forwards tended not to last under Guardiola, or he had a ruthless willingness to trade up, with City’s longest servants typically midfielders or defenders. Even Agüero, an inherited legend, only had three good years with Guardiola as his manager before injuries and age rendered him less effective and therefore expendable by the age of 32.

Foden is the exception, but has arguably been poor—by previous standards—for the past two seasons and perhaps enjoys a degree of leniency as a posterboy for home-grown talent.

Silva stayed for nine years because he was able to adapt to a deeper position, but Sterling was sold at what still seemed like the peak of his powers, aged 27. City cashed in on Sané after only four seasons, aged 24, and bought and sold Ferran Torres inside a brief 18-month window. Jesus was gone by 2022, sold to Arsenal for profit and never as good thereafter.

How Rashford Can Become a Man Utd ‘Superstar’ Again

Marcus Rashford vs. Everton, 2026 — Rashford has rejoined Man Utd this season. | Michael Regan/Getty Images

Rashford’s reintegration at Manchester United this season was not the expected path, but it’s the one taken and the early signs are promising. So far, the 28-year-old has started twice and was a halftime introduction the only time he began on the bench. He offers a clear threat on the left flank.

Rashford is yet to register a goal or assist, but Giggs claims the main thing that will get Manchester United fans right behind him is displaying the work ethic Ruben Amorim accused him of lacking.

“Assists, goals,” carry importance. “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 never likely to be broken, and so knows better than most what the fans value and respond to.

“I can’t tell you how important that tracking back and winning that tackle is,” he stressed. “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 is talented enough that if he gets this part right, everything else should fall into place.

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