MARCUS RASHFORD is expected to be fit to play in Manchester United's clash against Newcastle.
The Manchester United striker has spent the last two weeks recovering from an injury picked up during his side's FA Cup win over Fulham on 19 March.
The toe injury meant Rashford had to pull out of the England squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
The news came as a real blow to England manager Gareth Southgate, as Rashford has been in formidable form since the World Cup, managing to score 19 goals in 25 games.
However, his team-mates still managed to beat both Italy and Ukraine in their Euros double header, while the top scorer squeezed in a trip to NYC with partner Lucia Loi as he recovered.
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He returned to Manchester United training earlier this week, and manager Erik ten Hag is optimistic he will be available to make the trip to St James' Park.
"I have good hope," the Dutchman said, "He trained but he had to do some treatment, he had to do some individual training."
"Today he joined in with the group. We have one more day. I have a good hope he will be available."
Talking about the player's decision to fly to America, the manager added: "I think it's positive he was on a break.
"I think Rashford, I think with Bruno (Fernandes), he was playing the most games out of the whole squad.
"I think with Manchester United playing the most games across Europe and especially the internationals, our internationals are not mostly on the bench, mostly they are playing.
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"Our players are playing the most games in this crazy season. They need a breather to collect energy.
"For me, it's positive he took that time to turn off from football. I have seen him back this week and he had shown a lot of energy, a lot of motivation."
The game is crucial as Newcastle could potentially leapfrog third-placed Man Utd on goal difference if they were to win, and Rashford's availability is key with there being a heavy reliance on him for goal-scoring.
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Team-mate Anthony Martial may also be joining the star goal-scorer in the squad for the match.
Martial has not been able to play since February 1 in a season plagued with injury, but Ten Hag gave a vote of confidence for the Frenchman, saying: "He's training, for two weeks now, I think he can be in."
Manchester United play Newcastle at 4.30pm on Sunday
