Marcus Rashford is on loan at Aston Villa for the remainder of the season.
A decision was made to send Marcus Rashford on loan in January following a breakdown in relations between Ruben Amorim and the underperforming forward.
Aston Villa have the option to make the move permanent for £40 million after granting Rashford the opportunity to play in the Champions League knockout phase.
However, Rashford has yet to score a goal since moving to Birmingham.
The 27-year-old, who made his first appearance for England since March 2024 last night, has been able to record four assists in a Villa shirt thus far.
Rashford’s return to the England national team did not show a player who is revitalised, despite what some journalists will try to lead you to believe.
There’s a slim chance that Rashford could return to Old Trafford at the end of the season, especially with no guarantees that Villa will pay the required transfer fee.
Photo by Kevin Hodgson | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Kevin Hodgson | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Nicky Butt wants Marcus Rashford back at Manchester United
When Thomas Tuchel addressed the press ahead of his first game in charge of England, the German coach spoke highly of Rashford, describing his impact at Villa as “huge”.
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Rashford was then handed his first start for England since November 2023, but he failed to have a positive impact on the game despite it being a comfortable 2-0 win over Albania.
Minutes played 74
Goals 0
Assists 0
Total shots 0
Accurate passes 35/41 (85%)
Chances created 1
Touches 55
Touches in the opposition box 6
Successful dribbles 3/5 (60%)
Passes into the final third 3
Accurate crosses 0/1 (0%)
Marcus Rashford stats – England 2-0 Albania
Former United duo Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt attended the inaugural gala dinner for Foundation 92 on Thursday evening. The event raised an incredible £267,000 for community programmes and life-changing projects for patients at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospitals.
At the event, the pair spoke to the Manchester Evening News as Butt revealed his feelings on letting Rashford leave the club in January.
“I think it was the right thing for him to go,” Butt said when asked about Rashford.
“He was not looking happy playing football here. I’ve known Marcus since he was nine, 10, and I consider him a really good lad.
“He’s an unbelievable footballer, it just wasn’t working for him. And that happens with so many people when they get a little bit of quicksand and they can’t get out of it.
“It was sad to see Marcus struggling on a football pitch when for probably seven, eight or nine years, all I’ve seen him do is shine every time he went on a pitch. He’s gone to Villa, who are an amazing football club, they’re doing so well, they’ve got a really good manager as well.
“They look like they’ve got their plan and what they’re doing is correct. I went to watch a game for them, against Cardiff in the FA Cup. He’s looking like, not quite the level he was at, but he’s looking like he’s getting to that level. He’s got his call-up again which will be a massive boost for him.”
Butt added: “Hopefully, who knows, if he comes back to Man United, you just don’t know. I went on loan to Birmingham from Newcastle, I never thought for one minute I’d go back.
“I ended up going back and was five years there and captain for three years. You never know what’s going to happen with football. I’d like to see him back in a Man United shirt, but who knows.”
Ryan Giggs hopeful of Rashford return
Giggs also admitted that he would like to see Rashford back at United, although he is aware of how unrealistic that sounds right now.
Like Butt, Giggs had positive stories to tell from his time coaching Rashford as a youngster when he broke into United’s first-team under Louis van Gaal.
Giggs explained his belief that Rashford forgot what it’s like to play with freedom at United.
“I haven’t got any more insight than the normal fan really,” Giggs said. “All I can say is I worked with Marcus and he was a breath of fresh air when he came into the team.
“I remember going over with Louis [van Gaal] to watch him train. He was with the Under-18s, wasn’t he, with the reserves? It was a small-sided game and he just stood out. It was one of those moments where you just can’t leave him out of the team. He came in and did really well.
“Looking from the outside, it does look like he’s got the world on his shoulders. He’s forgotten what it’s like to play with freedom. It’s great to see him doing well at Villa. I don’t know whether he’ll come back. I’m not too sure. Obviously you’d like that because we just talked about young players coming through, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”