Kieran McKenna worked with Marcus Rashford at Manchester United before he took over at Ipswich Town
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Kieran McKenna
Kieran McKenna(Image: Getty Images)
Ipswich Town Kieran McKenna has predicted Marcus Rashford to rediscover his form at Aston Villa after joining on loan from Manchester United.
The 27-year-old could make his first start under Unai Emery on Saturday when Villa take on the Tractor Boys after he made his debut in the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Rashford impressed in his cameo off the bench, alongside fellow new loan signing Marco Asensio.
Villa have a £40m option to buy Rashford in the summer when his loan move comes to an end, and Ipswich boss McKenna - who worked with him when he was a first-team coach at United under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - has backed the forward to find his feet again.
"We know what a threat he is," McKenna said. "I think football careers are tough, and especially when you start as young as Marcus did and you break in at 18.
“If you play until your mid-thirties or beyond, then it's not all going to be smooth sailing. It very rarely is.
"It's always easy to look at the negative aspect and you could certainly flip that on the head and say that he's a young player, he's come through the academy, from Wythenshawe and played for his boyhood club. He's won trophies and broken records and done some incredible things.
"His life is football. Things don't always go in a smooth direction. He's still young enough and he's still talented enough, so I'm sure he'll be working hard to play again regularly and hit really good form."
Following Jhon Duran's move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, Rashford will now provide competition for striker Ollie Watkins.
"They've got a really deep, high quality forward unit where they can make really impactful subs," McKenna added.
"You're going to face a really strong front four at the start of the game, and there's every chance you're going to face a really strong, different front four at the end of the game. We've had to be thorough in our preparation."
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