'RIP Marcus Rashford's career,' wrote one fan. 'That's Rashford going out on loan then,' wrote another.
Social media seemed to think Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to Manchester United meant the 18-year-old would be sacrificed as the striker almost twice his age took over Old Trafford (and the Arndale).
They won't be the only ones wondering where Rashford will fit next season. The teenager himself, holidaying in Dubai, will be thinking about it, too, and what Jose Mourinho's plans are for him.
Yet Ibrahimovic's move might not be bad news for Rashford next season. In fact, it could be good.
Mourinho uses a single striker. He did it at Chelsea and at Real Madrid. In 206 games at those two clubs since 2010, he used 4-2-3-1 in 193. It's easy to see what his favourite formation is.
Next season the 53-year-old will have Rashford and Ibrahimovic to choose from, if Anthony Martial is used wide and Wayne Rooney deep.
This is where Rashford could get worried. Two into one will not go and it doesn't help that, during his time at Chelsea, Mourinho was criticised for how he handled teenagers.
Mourinho used six teenagers at Chelsea between 2004 and 2007, which added up to 25 appearances (17 of those belonged to John Mikel Obi, who was 19 during the 2006-07 season).
Then in Mourinho's second stint at Chelsea between 2013 and 2015, he used seven teenagers, adding up to 16 appearances.
By comparison, Sir Alex Ferguson used 39 teenagers in the Premier League at Manchester United. Some paid off, some didn't.
Ryan Giggs bowed out of Old Trafford on Saturday after 29 years and reminded Mourinho that 'giving youth a chance' is crucial in his statement ‒ a doff of the cap to the striker at their disposal.
Rashford is no ordinary teenager. He scored on his debut in the Premier League, Europa League and for England, and has taken to the first team with calmness and composure.
Manchester United, more than most clubs, consider players rising through their ranks as part of their DNA after what they achieved with Ferguson and the Class of '92.
Mourinho knows that, too. He could have tried to sign a young striker ‒ an Alvaro Morata, for example ‒ but instead opted for a veteran on a one-year contract.
Ibrahimovic is 34 and will not be at Old Trafford in three years, when Rashford will still only be 21. This is a chance for him to learn, to be taken under the wing of a world-renowned goalscorer.
It is no coincidence that his Paris Saint-Germain and Sweden team-mates talk about how influential Ibrahimovic can be when it comes to youngsters.
John Guidetti, the 24-year-old Sweden striker, admitted as much. 'The way he speaks with all the younger players, the way he demands quality, it is a true pleasure to play with him,' Guidetti said.
'There will never be another Zlatan: he's a one-off. The way that he talked and behaved has inspired me.'
Last season, Ibrahimovic scored 38 goals in 31 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain to win Ligue 1. That, though, is a title that Mourinho once said the PSG tea lady could win, apparently.
That will be Ibrahimovic's challenge, to show that he can still cut it at a competitive level. If not, then Rashford is there to take his place, and will get game time in other competitions too.
The 18-year-old did, after all, have the best shot conversion rate (55.6 per cent) between every Manchester United striker last season, and also beat Ibrahimovic (28.2 per cent).
So this Swedish signing should not be bad news for Rashford but good.
It would have been unfair to think that Rashford could take on the responsibility of being a single striker in a 4-2-3-1 for an entire season, with Europa League football to feature too.
At least he knows that in a year or two, he will not have to compete with Ibrahimovic, and so next season can be about development and not burning out before he's barely started.
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