Marcus Rashford has moved a step closer to signing a £1.3million-a-year contract at Manchester United after formally appointing his older brother to handle his business affairs.
Dwaine Maynard has been representing Rashford since the teenage striker made a spectacular breakthrough at Old Trafford in February.
He has since held talks with a number of top agents desperate to have Rashford on their books.
Maynard, who has also been receiving advice from Danny Welbeck’s brothers Chris and Wayne, is now dealing with United himself in discussions over the new deal.
Rashford currently earns £1,500-a-week, but that figure will rise to £25,000 before bonuses after scoring seven goals in 15 games for United.
The 18-year-old is set to face struggling Norwich at Carrow Road this lunchtime as Louis van Gaal’s side look to keep the pressure on Manchester City and Arsenal in the race for fourth and a Champions League place.
United have a game in hand on their rivals — they play sixth-placed West Ham on Tuesday — and Van Gaal believes they must win all three remaining Premier League fixtures to finish in the top four.
United face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final in a fortnight. Qualifying for the Champions League and winning the cup would go a long way to convincing Manchester United chief Ed Woodward to keep Van Gaal for the last year of his contract.
When it was put to the Dutchman that he cannot lose any of the four games if he wants to hit that target, Van Gaal said: ‘I cannot afford it and Manchester United cannot afford it. But in sport you can win and lose. It’s hard to accept, but it is the truth.’
Norwich manager Alex Neil is certainly under no illusions about today’s challenge, with his side lying 17th in the table, two points from safety.
Neil said: ‘This is certainly the biggest game of our lives at the moment because it is the most relevant for us and is going to shape the future for us.
‘For me it is not about money, it is about pride, fighting for your club — every-thing other than money. It is about your career and how you want to see yourself.’ – Daily Mail