Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Marcus Rashford and Andre Onana have impressed on loan elsewhere this season
BySimon StoneManchester United reporter- Published17 minutes ago
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You don't need to go searching for trouble in this game. Trouble will find you soon enough.
It was a phrase Sir Alex Ferguson liked to use as he dealt with the ups and downs of life at Manchester United.
Prior to Monday, Manchester United seemed on course to qualify for the Champions League. By midnight, doubts were setting in after the home defeat by Leeds.
Yet Michael Carrick's side are still in a very strong position.
They go to Chelsea on Saturday seven points clear of their sixth-placed hosts, with five spots available. A draw would leave them needing a maximum of 10 points from their final five games to secure a return to Europe's elite club competition after a two-year absence.
That would be a year ahead of schedule and a reason to celebrate at Old Trafford.
But it would also bring issues to solve - not least the futures of goalkeeper Andre Onana and England forward Marcus Rashford.
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Doing well in Turkey and Spain
Both players are spending the season out on loan.
Onana's United contract runs to 2028. The Cameroon international joined from Inter Milan for £47.2m after an outstanding season which ended in Champions League final defeat by Manchester City.
He left for Turkish club Trabzonspor on 11 September after making a single first-team appearance for Manchester United this season, in the EFL Cup defeat on penalties at League Two Grimsby, when he was blamed for both Mariners' goals in a 2-2 draw.
Rashford joined Barcelona on 23 July, having already been placed in Ruben Amorim's 'bomb squad' and told to train at different times to the first-team squad. He had fallen out with the Portuguese coach during the previous campaign, which he ended on loan at Aston Villa.
Both are doing reasonably well.
Onana has started 26 times for Trabzonspor, who are third in the Turkish league, two points behind second-placed Fenerbahce. His side has also reached the last eight of the Turkish Cup.
Rashford was a second-half substitute as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday but lost on aggregate.
He has started 15 times, made 11 substitute appearances and scored six goals in La Liga, which Barca lead by nine points from Real Madrid with seven games remaining.
Yet, beyond the end of the season, their futures are uncertain.
United have tended to include a clause in player contracts that provide a 25% hike in wages if the club qualify for the Champions League.
Prior to last season's Europa League final, it was estimated beating Tottenham would cost them £30m in bonuses. United feel it is worth it because of the additional prize money on offer in the tournament, the extra gate receipts and the greater attraction they become from a commercial perspective.
However, the bonus applies to all contracts, even those of players they do not want, and that makes them harder to shift.
Happy to come back but not wanted? What happens now?
Onana expects to be told at the end of May what Manchester United plan for him next season.
There is a basic reality to this situation though. Trabzonspor are paying his £6m-a-year wages. That salary will go up if Manchester United are in the Champions League next season.
Current number one Senne Lammens seems certain to be chosen for World Cup duty by Belgium. Altay Bayindir's future is uncertain anyway because of interest from Besiktas, who tried to sign him in January, but regardless, he is expected to be part of Turkey's squad.
It means Manchester United are likely to be short of experienced goalkeepers for their opening pre-season game against Wrexham in Helsinki on 18 July – the day before the World Cup final – and maybe for games that follow that given players are entitled to a three-week break after their last tournament match.
It is possible Radek Vitek, who has had an outstanding season on loan at Bristol City, could still be at Manchester United in mid-July but he made it perfectly clear in an interview with BBC Sport last month he wants to play next season and has no interest in being anywhere to sit on the bench for an extended period.
Sources with knowledge of Onana feel his current mindset is that he will be returning to the club, hoping to play during pre-season and then try to convince the new permanent manager he can be part of his plans.
Onana still believes he has an Old Trafford future and is not prepared to give that up without a fight, as unlikely as it seems that Lammens will relinquish his number one spot.
Rashford is in a different position.
Until 15 June, the ball is in Barcelona's court. That is the deadline they have to activate a clause which would allow them to turn his loan into a permanent deal for a fee of £26m.
Most expect it to happen, although Barca have given the impression of wanting to negotiate over the details, something Manchester United are unwilling to do.
However, the club also know if Rashford reverts back to being their player on 30 June when his Barca contract ends, he will instantly become one of their highest earners.
Numerous clubs are said to be keen on the forward, who is in line to be in Thomas Tuchel's England squad this summer. Manchester United might think they can get a bigger fee from another suitor. But can they get a bigger fee and cover Rashford's wages? Not many clubs in Europe have Barca's status and global pulling power.
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has complained before about the amount of money Manchester United are spending to subsidise the salaries of players currently at other clubs.
Even if Onana and Rashford are not in that bracket currently, there is a possibility they might be if it is decided the pair have no future at Old Trafford.
As it stands, both players are said to be open to coming back if needed, while United don't want to address the issue publicly as they still have work to do to seal a Champions League return.
If they do, then the negotiations will start. It might not be easy.
