"I was very clear with everyone involved before the World Cup, I wanted a transfer done before," he said. "If it's not, I wanted it to wait until after. I want to be fully present in the moment. We're fighting for something special."
That timeline is now bumping up against United's pre-season schedule, with the club aiming to have a permanent deal for the 28-year-old arranged before their training camp gets under way, reports The Sun.
Manchester United fly to Dublin on August 8 direct from Gothenburg, where they face Paris Saint-Germain in their fourth pre-season friendly, having settled on August 9 as their official pre-season base date - a point by which every World Cup participant will technically be free to join up.
Rashford's own return is pencilled in for early August, once he has completed a mandatory three-week break, leaving United a tight window to get a sale done before he is due back at Carrington.
Rashford's road out of Old Trafford has already taken one significant turn this summer. Barcelona held an option to sign him permanently for £26million after his season-long loan in Catalonia, but chose instead to spend £70million on fellow England left winger Anthony Gordon from Newcastle, closing the door on an immediate Camp Nou return. The option had carried a June 15 deadline, which passed just two days before England's World Cup opener against Croatia.
With Barcelona no longer straightforward, Tottenham have emerged as a reported suitor, though Rashford is said to want Champions League football next season, a stipulation that narrows his options considerably as United try to find a buyer willing to meet those terms before the transfer window moves into its final stretch.
The forward has not featured for United since December 12 2024, and his two starts for England at the World Cup so far have offered prospective buyers a rare recent look at his form, adding a layer of urgency to United's efforts to get a deal over the line.