Marcus Rashford has revealed a new Manchester United tattoo marking his decision to remain at the club this season, adding his No 9 shirt number to a collection of ink covering his career.
The 28-year-old England forward spent the past two seasons away from Old Trafford on loan, first at Aston Villa and then at Barcelona, and had not started a Manchester United match in 626 days before featuring in Sunday's 5-2 win over Ipswich Town.
Rashford came through Manchester United's academy before breaking into the first team, and has since become one of England's most recognised forwards, known for his pace and directness down United's left flank.
Rashford's abdominal tattoo already carried the numbers 10, 19 and 39, all worn during his time at United, along with the No 14 he wore at Barcelona last season. The addition of the No 9, the number he has now been given at United and also wore during his loan spell at Villa, means the tattoo now covers five different shirt numbers from across his career.
Tattoo artist and design
The shirt numbers are inked beneath the words "What your eyes see can be misleading, never judge a book by its cover". Sharing the image, Rashford captioned it: "New number, same mission..."
Rashford also had a new neck tattoo done at the same time, reading "Love and let be". The work was carried out by celebrity tattoo artist Dale McGovern, who has also inked influencer Molly Smith, Leeds United defender Jayden Bogle and Rashford's Manchester United team-mate Ayden Heaven.
Return to the starting XI
Rashford's future at Manchester United had been uncertain after Barcelona turned down the option to make his loan move permanent in the summer transfer window, leaving him to return to Old Trafford with questions swirling over whether he could be reintegrated into the squad.
He came off the bench in United's opening-day defeat by Hull before starting against Ipswich Town, a match Michael Carrick's side won 5-2. Carrick, a former Manchester United and England midfielder who spent more than a decade at Old Trafford as a player before moving into coaching, now has Rashford as another attacking option out wide.
Maguire backs Rashford
Defender Harry Maguire said a "happy, driven and hungry" Rashford could be a major asset to Manchester United this season. Maguire, a former Leicester City defender who joined United in 2019, spoke after the win over Ipswich.
"It's been really good since he came in," Maguire said. "He's trained really well and us as players, if Marcus wants to be here and wants to work and wants to improve and wants to help the team, of course, we're willing to have him in the squad."
"He's a great talent. You've seen that he's always a threat. I think today, I think he was a threat constantly, and I think he could still do a lot more and I think he'll say that he can do more," Maguire added.
"I think if we keep him fit, we keep him happy, he keeps driven, keeps hungry, and I think he is a great asset to have," Maguire said.
