Paul Scholes has made a bold prediction about Marcus Rashford's future, suggesting the Manchester United forward's time at Old Trafford is effectively over. Speaking on talkSPORT, the United legend expects Barcelona to trigger the £26 million buy option in Rashford's loan deal within weeks, bringing a permanent end to the 28-year-old's 21-year association with the club.

Rashford has been in impressive form for the Catalan giants, who were recently crowned La Liga champions after a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid. The England international played a pivotal role in that match, scoring a stunning free-kick early on—his first-ever career league title. With 14 goals and 14 assists in 47 appearances for Barcelona this season, Rashford has proven his worth and expressed a desire to stay at Camp Nou.

However, Barcelona have been hesitant to commit to the full fee, hoping to negotiate a lower sum or extend the loan for another season. United, though, are standing firm, refusing to budge on either option. For Rashford, who looks almost certain to be named in Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad, the ball is now in Barcelona's court.

Scholes didn't mince words about the situation. "I think his time's done at Man United," he said. "When he was at Manchester United, I think he'd lost a bit of love for the club. He didn't really want to be there. It looked like that to me at times. I think for that relationship to be healed will be quite difficult."

With just two league fixtures remaining in Spain, Rashford can only wait for confirmation on whether he'll be wearing the Blaugrana stripes next season—or if a return to Manchester is on the cards. Either way, his future looks set to be one of the summer's biggest talking points.