The thought of Marcus Rashford leaving Manchester United is one that will fill many fans with dread. 

Not only does the Academy product embody so many of the club's traditional values, Jose Mourinho does not exactly have the best history when it comes to letting players go. 

The likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku have all gone on to prove the Portuguese wrong, while United themselves have learned the hard way, via £89million Paul Pogba, that it can be an expensive mistake to sell off such a promising young talent. 

Mourinho argues that he does indeed get the best out of Rashford and hence, there is no reason for him to leave. 

The England international, handed his debut by Louis van Gaal back in February 2016, played more minutes in the Premier League than any other player under 21, as he reached that milestone age just a few weeks ago.

So, on paper, all is well - but the reality is that things have been very difficult for the attacker. 

Since Mourinho came in, he has had to navigate a variety of positions, rarely being used as a centre-forward.

It's little surprise then, that other top European clubs want to exploit the situation. According to The Sun, Real Madrid have earmarked Rashford, as well as Tottenham's Christian Eriksen, as a potential target. 

The newspaper suggest Los Blancos had scouts watching him in England's 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Croatia. 

Should Rashford make the move? 

It raises plenty of questions. Would Rashford be good enough for Real Madrid? Are United using him to his full potential? What on earth is Mourinho doing? 

Well, former Red Devils striker Dimitar Berbatov has sought to answer those debates with his latest betfair column, and he talks a lot of sense. 

"I wasn't totally surprised to see rumours about Marcus Rashford moving away from Old Trafford," Berbatov writes.

"I think Jose Mourinho should be playing him more; he's only going to get better with experience and we can see how well he is playing for the national team.

"Rashford hasn't necessarily hit top form for Man United so far this season, but he is a good player with a big future ahead of him. If he is not happy with the lack of playing time (he hasn't completed 90 minutes once), I can understand why he might start thinking about his options.

"I would be very sad to see him leave and Manchester United need to do all they can to keep him, but you can see why players head get turned when names like Real Madrid are mentioned."

That said, the Bulgarian has pointed out that Rashford needs to think very carefully before making a move. 

"Madrid isn't a place where he is necessarily going to get more playing time, of course, but when you are bit confused, you sometimes forget about those details and can get seduced by the big name. You think 'f**k it, I'm not getting a chance here, so why not?'

"But, as I said, I do not want this move to happen. It's important that Academy players are given a chance and we don't want to see another Pogba situation where United have to pay a huge fee for someone they had on their books in the first place."

If Madrid were to express an interest, it would be interesting to see how Rashford, who is living the dream playing for his boyhood club, would respond. 

In the meantime, his fellow United fans can only hope he is given more opportunities.  

Should Rashford leave Manchester United? Have your say in the comments.