Marcus Rashford has now missed Manchester United’s last five matches, a spell that has kept him largely out of the spotlight while scrutiny has fallen elsewhere in recent weeks.

There had been optimism that he could be brought back into the side this season after his hoped-for move to Barcelona collapsed, with the Catalan club deciding Anthony Gordon represented a better investment. Since returning to England, though, Rashford has still not registered a goal or assist.

His difficulties may help explain why a player who delivered 28 goal contributions last season, largely from an understudy role, has struggled to influence games as a starter. That has come at a time when the issue for the team has not been scoring goals.

Rashford has not looked fully fit since the World Cup, when he first picked up a hip problem. He was included by England for the September-October international window, but withdrew before reporting. After club football resumed, he played just one minute off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur, then went on to feature for 66 minutes in Madrid.

With no other appearances behind him, Thomas Tuchel opted for other choices when naming his November squad last week.

The problem is now understood to be more than a hip issue. The Telegraph reported that it has spread to his groin, and that is the injury keeping him out. He is said to have visited a groin specialist in Dublin with a member of Manchester United’s medical staff.

Rashford is described as having “played through the pain” in an effort to help Carrick, who did not close the door on him despite the summer suggesting a permanent separation was the preferred outcome for the player. The approach worsened the issue. He even reportedly offered to take a place on the bench for the Halloween defeat to Chelsea, but the club turned down the offer.

The Ireland visit brought a “new recovery program”, and there is cautious hope that he could be available for the first game after the international break on Nov. 22. That would mean Liverpool at Anfield.

It would be a significant stage for a homegrown Manchester United player. Rashford has already delivered against Liverpool before, scoring in FA Cup wins in 2021 and 2024, and netting the winner in a Premier League game in 2022.

Rio Ngumoha has described his switch from Chelsea to Liverpool as an obvious decision, saying the promise of a clearer route to first-team football made the move straightforward.

Chelsea were frustrated to lose a highly rated youngster, with Liverpool eventually paying a minimum of $3.7 million after a tribunal. But for Ngumoha, the attraction of a defined pathway at Anfield outweighed everything else.

“I feel like I needed a new challenge,” Ngumoha told The Guardian. “Liverpool gave me a new pathway. The plan that they set for me was straightforward. It was a no-brainer. They just said if I prove myself then they know that I would definitely be a star for them in the making.”

The 18-year-old has already begun to justify that faith. After making his debut in the 2024-25 season, he went on to feature 29 times the following campaign, a year highlighted by a late winner against Newcastle United in the Premier League.

Arne Slot provided the platform for his breakthrough, and Ngumoha is now benefiting from fresh leadership. Andoni Iraola has given him regular starts and useful minutes from the bench, with the forward generally impressing and adding two assists.

Ngumoha also sees the Ballon d’Or as a realistic target in the future, helped by the wider impact of Harry Kane’s success. “Harry Kane winning the Ballon d’Or is definitely a big thing,” said the teenager. “It’s also helped English football now because everyone’s seen one of us win the Ballon d’Or , it is definitely encouraging many more people to want to be known as the best player in the world.

“For me, I would like to achieve it and I think I can do it.”

He will have the chance to discuss that ambition with Kane during the current international break, after being named once more in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

Ngumoha’s departure also reflects a familiar pattern. Chelsea’s habit of collecting elite young talent has often led to players seeking opportunities elsewhere, and he joins the likes of Marc Guéhi, Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and Michael Olise in leaving Stamford Bridge in search of a clearer route to senior soccer.

Even so, Chelsea’s approach has not changed. Last summer they spent $167 million on four players aged 22 or under, yet minutes have remained hard to find. Dastan Satpayev has already gone on loan, while Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra and Valentín Barco have managed only four Premier League starts between them.

Estêvão’s place in Xabi Alonso’s plans appears secure in theory, but the evidence on the pitch has told a different story. The Brazilian youngster has found minutes hard to come by in a system built around a back three and wingbacks, which has left little space for wide forwards. He was even left on the bench when Chelsea exited the Carabao Cup on penalties to Liverpool last month.

There was a reminder of what he can offer when Alonso shifted to a 4-2-3-1 for the recent win over Manchester United. Estêvão started on the right and produced a strong display. Yet that momentum did not last, with another formation change ahead of the defeat to Sunderland before the international break sending him back to the bench.

BBC Sport reported in September that Estêvão was among a small group of “untouchable” Chelsea players, alongside Moisés Caicedo, Cole Palmer and João Pedro. Even so, a player of his ability, and one who has long attracted attention, could eventually begin to look elsewhere if the current situation does not improve.

If that point arrives, several destinations could enter the picture.

Paris Saint-Germain remain a logical name in any discussion of elite attacking talent, particularly after their summer reshuffle. But with Lee Kang-in, Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos already moved on, and with Maghnes Akliouche, Ferran Torres and Mika Godts arriving, they are more likely to trust their current options. They have also been hit by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s ACL tear, though Luis Enrique still has plenty to work with.

Liverpool is another obvious possibility. After Mohamed Salah’s departure in the summer, Andoni Iraola has used Bradley Barcola, Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha on the right wing, but that position may still need greater certainty. A Chelsea sale to a Premier League rival would be difficult to imagine, yet the financial logic is there.

Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, would make sense only if the situation worsened and Chelsea agreed to a loan in January. They may not be as imposing as they once were, but the club still has a reputation for developing talent. Estêvão may not be the ideal Niko Kovać wide player, but Dortmund would be one to watch if temporary respite becomes the next step.