Marcus Rashford spent last season on loan at Aston Villa and has hailed his former side after they claimed Europa League glory in Istanbul on Wednesday night
Marcus Rashford spent part of last season on loan at Aston Villa
Marcus Rashford spent part of last season on loan at Aston Villa(Image: UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Marcus Rashford has paid tribute to Aston Villa, congratulating his former team after their Europa League victory on Wednesday night.
The forward, currently on loan at Barcelona, spent the latter half of last season at Villa Park and was part of their run to the last eight of the Champions League. Rashford scored against PSG in the quarter-finals and clearly retains an affection for his old side.
Villa were among the favourites to win the Europa League and fully justified that status as they hammered Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul. Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers got themselves on the scoresheet
Rashford's move to Villa Park helped him rediscover his best form after he'd been frozen out at Manchester United. Those exploits put him in the shop window and he's paid tribute to his former side on social media.
He posted a picture of their champion post alongside the words: "Congratulations to all of my friends and the coaches at Villa. UTV".
Rashford scored four times in 17 outings for Villa and the Midlands club could've landed him permanently for £40million, but opted against and the player had to look elsewhere for a move. His future beyond this summer is unclear with Barcelona yet to make a decision on whether to retain him long-term.
The Spanish champions have an agreement with Rashford on personal terms, but are finding it more tricky to tick the boxes with United. Barcelona negotiated a £26m clause in the deal which sent him to the Camp Nou last term, but they would rather reduce that - or sign him for another season on loan.
United are unwilling to cede to those demands, believing Barca will already be signing the player at a discount after a good season in Spain.
Villa will return to the Champions League next season, owing to their top five finish in the Premier League. They currently sit fourth as Unai Emery continues to perform wonders at Villa Park with the Spaniard now adding a trophy to the impressive work he's done over his four year spell.
Marcus Rashford has congratulated his former team
Marcus Rashford has congratulated his former team(Image: @marcusrashford)
View 2 Images
Tielemans told TNT Sports: "I feel amazing. My voice is a bit gone but it's all good. We put in a shift, a top performance, we had a great season. To top it off with this is amazing. It's been a season with a lot of ups and downs. We started so so bad. Our standards were very poor.
"The way we turned things around was a credit to the players and staff. We kept working, believing. We got the win in the end, Champions League next season and a trophy."
Emery added: "All the times I am successful in this competition I needed good players. Now I am so thankful for the players, they are following our ambitions. They are protagonists on the field. This is the reason I am not feeling the king in this competition. I am feeling really thankful - we are the kings together."
Content Image
Content Image