That you never say never where the game is concerned is also true because strange things can, and often do, happen.
Take the situation of England international Marcus Rashford, as just one example.
Rashford had no future at United under Amorim
Back in December 2024, he was so far out of the Man Utd picture under Ruben Amorim that a move away was the only sensible option, and England honours appeared a distant dream for the attacker.
A reasonably successful loan spell at Aston Villa was then followed up by a loan switch to Barcelona, after Rashford's 'come and get me' plea to the Catalans was heard loud and clear.
To the player's credit, he enjoyed a stunning campaign, which ended with a LaLiga title and, one might have expected, his loan move being made permanent.
However, despite 14 goals and 11 assists in 49 games in all competitions, and more than enough evidence that there was nothing wrong with his attitude and work rate, Deco and Hansi Flick decided that Barca wouldn't be taking up their option on Rashford.
Carrick prepared to wipe the slate clean
Whilst that would've clearly disappointed the 28-year-old, the resurrection of his career whilst at Camp Nou has afforded him more options than he had some 18 months or so ago, one of which is a return to the United squad.
Now coached by Michael Carrick, who was the Red Devils captain when Rashford made his debut as a youngster, there's a school of thought that the Geordie might be prepared to wipe the slate clean for his former teammate and give him every chance to re-establish himself at the Theatre of Dreams.
It would certainly be quite the turnaround for Rashford, who would appear to be more than willing to try and become a difference maker for his boyhood club once more, when such a scenario could never have been considered under Amorim.
Fabulous numbers whilst at Barcelona
During his time in Spain, and aside from his goals and assists, his 10 fast breaks were the same amount as the much more celebrated Lamine Yamal, and only just surpassed by Raphinha and Fermin Lopez.
His shot accuracy of 56.79% was decent enough and, in fact, was only bettered by Ferran Torres' 62.82%. It was a similar story with shot conversion, as Rashford's 21.43% was just shy of The Shark's 21.65%.
One has to factor in, of course, that Torres was the main centre-forward when Robert Lewandowski wasn't playing, and Rashford was always stationed out on the wing, which makes the Englishman's contribution that much more laudable.
117 total shots at goal again gave Rashford the 'silver medal position,' with Lamine's 168 being by far the best output in this regard. Fermin (112) was the only other player to break the century mark for shots at goal, and if Carrick were only to study the metrics aforementioned, he would see a positive pattern developing.
That would be to discount Rashford's 67 chances created, and an excellent pass completion rate of 83.74% - better than a number of United's players last season.
132 corners taken with 23.7% success isn't to be dismissed, either, though there is clearly some room for improvement.
Rashford gave everything to earn Barcelona contract
Even the winning of 104 one-on-one ground duels shows just how keen Rashford was to make an impression.
Certainly, no one can level an accusation at him that he didn't do everything he could to earn himself a permanent contract with the Catalan giants, and even if he'll be slightly miffed that one wasn't forthcoming, he can feel rightly proud of his personal achievement, as well as the collective success.
The issue now is whether Carrick and the Man Utd board see him as a decent option, whether as a starter or otherwise.
Will United keep Rashford or move him on?
Since the change of manager midway through last season, the enveloping gloom around the club has lifted, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and others all enjoying an emerging partnership.
That front line will be difficult for Rashford to break into; however, he's perfectly capable of doing so, and that would give Carrick the conundrum that all managers profess to want to have, which is competition for places in every position.
Whether or not the player begins the season at United or elsewhere, he's turned his career around when it was heading for the doldrums, and that's worth celebrating.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
