How Arsenal could line-up with Marcus Rashford as deal mooted before deadline day

It seems that Marcus Rashford’s name pops up every year when Arsenal invariably continue their long search for a left winger.

This summer, the Gunners have clearly targeted that position, with Mikel Arteta believing he was in need of upgrades after both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli struggled to make it their own last season. Trossard was sold to Besiktas last month and Martinelli is expected to join him out the door, following a reported £50million agreement with Al-Hilal.

Meanwhile, the Premier League champions added Christos Tzolis to their ranks after sealing his £34m transfer from Club Brugge. But, while Tzolis has performed brilliantly early on in his Arsenal career, the Greece international’s arrival was always meant to be in addition to a bigger name signing, who they are yet to bring in.

Sporting director Andrea Berta has unsuccessfully tried to sign high-profile targets like Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior this summer. While striker Julian Alvarez now appears to be a top priority in the final days of the transfer window, The Independent reports the Gunners are still pursuing a separate deal for an out-and-out winger, namely Manchester United’s Rashford.

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The report claims Arsenal could submit a loan offer for the 28-year-old late in the window, given Tzolis is the only true left winger Arteta has at his disposal currently. Rashford notably made his return to competitive action with the Red Devils last weekend after a 19-month absence, following his falling out with previous United manager Ruben Amorim.

The England international had been widely linked to an Old Trafford exit at the beginning of the summer, but was re-integrated into Michael Carrick's squad and played in their Premier League defeat to Hull City. Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona but the Catalan club chose not to activate the clause that would have enabled them to sign the player for £26m.

He still has two years remaining on his contract with United, and The Athletic reported earlier in the summer that Rashford has no desire to leave United for a domestic rival. Those factors, along with suggestions that the Red Devils are not open to a third successive loan move, mean signing the player is more difficult than it was a few months ago, with Carrick adamant that Rashford remains part of his plans.

But, should the England star have a change of heart and the Red Devils change their stance on a loan deal, Rashford would have plenty to offer Arteta’s side. The Gunners, without Martinelli, severely lack pace in the squad - something Rashford has in abundance.

The player has proven time and again that, when he is loved and has the support of his manager, he usually performs. While certainly not his best season to date, he showed glimpses of that world class talent last term - the kind Arteta cried out for after May’s Champions League final defeat - by notching 14 goals and 15 assists for Barcelona.

Rashford even showed he was willing to put in the defensive effort under Hansi Flick, which is an integral part of earning Arteta’s trust. While Tzolis has shown no reason to be dropped with his stellar showings since joining the north Londoners, Rashford would hand the Arsenal boss another tool to break down teams, particularly on the counter, where there is clearly room for improvement.

The best use for Rashford at Arsenal would be to deploy him against teams with high lines, namely in Europe, or after the 60-minute mark when games open up. He would link up particularly well with centre-forwards that drop in to receive the ball, such as Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino and Alvarez.

With Bukayo Saka on the right, the champions would have two of England’s key forwards on either flank, striking fear into any Premier League defence. Here is how the Gunners could line-up with Rashford in the side: