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Manchester United Premier League • England Ryan Giggs reveals huge Pep Guardiola admiration for Man Utd ace Manchester City icon Pep Guardiola is a big admirer of Marcus Rashford, having previously labelled the forward the ‘best player at Manchester United’, according to Ryan Giggs. Following loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, Rashford is now back in the fold at Man Utd. Michael Carrick rates the England international very highly and believes he can play a crucial role at Old Trafford this season, which is why the head coach reintegrated Rashford back into his squad. Rashford shone at Barca last term and was hopeful the club would trigger their €30million (£26m) option to buy him over the summer. But Barca instead tried to sign Rashford on another loan deal, terms United were never going to accept. Barca went on to sign Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus, forcing Rashford to head back to United. The 28-year-old has yet to register a goal contribution under Carrick this term, though he has looked sharp in his first three appearances. Rashford’s record against rivals City stands at seven goals and one assist in 23 matches. In an interview with Rio Ferdinand, Giggs recalled a dinner he attended with Guardiola and United legend Sir Alex Ferguson. “There’s about eight of us, so he [Ferguson] sat me next to Pep, this was about, I’m going to say about eight or nine years ago,” Giggs said. “I’ve gone to Pep and said, ‘You know, who do you like at Manchester United?’, and he went, ‘Well, who do you think?’ “So I went, ‘David de Gea?’ He went, ‘No’. ‘Luke Shaw?’ I was just like, ‘No’. “He said the best player at Man Utd, Marcus Rashford. He said he would take him tomorrow. “And that just made me [think], what’s Pep seeing in Rashford? And that was obviously when Marcus was playing as a centre-forward.” Guardiola and Rashford are no longer rivals, as the manager ended his ground-breaking 10-year spell with City last season. Man Utd weighing up striker transfers Giggs’ story comes at a time when United are evaluating their centre-forward options. Carrick does not seem to trust Benjamin Sesko, while Joshua Zirkzee was expected to leave in the summer. Everton made a deadline-day approach for Zirkzee, but United rejected it as they felt they could not get a suitable replacement in time. The Dutchman remains a target for several clubs ahead of the January window, and we can reveal one potential option to replace him. Paul Scholes, meanwhile, wants Carrick to stop using Matheus Cunha as a No 9. “I felt it was really timid against Everton,” he said. “There was no aggression, and Everton were there for the taking. “There was so much space, and they never went for the throat. “The centre-forward position is a bit of an issue because he is not playing Sesko. He is a focal point. “It is very difficult to watch a Manchester United team without a centre-forward. “With Cunha, we don’t really know what he is, a No 10 or a wide player. But he’s definitely not a No 9, and watching United without a No 9 is a struggle.” Meanwhile, United will reportedly offer Lisandro Martinez a new contract on two conditions.