Marcus Rashford has returned to form for Aston Villa as he bagged a brace in their FA Cup quarter-final win at Preston, and former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam has been left disappointed
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Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of Manchester United, speaks to Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford's Manchester United future looks uncertain
(Image: Getty Images)
Jaap Stam has expressed his dismay at seeing Marcus Rashford in an Aston Villa shirt – conceding that the forward is unlikely to ever be considered a Manchester United legend.
The England international left his boyhood club for the first time in his career in January, joining Unai Emery's side on loan for the remainder of the season. Rashford, 27, has been ousted from the United squad by head coach Ruben Amorim since December, following questions about his work ethic and attitude.
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He was permitted to leave the club, which included a £40million buy option should Villa wish to make the move permanent in the summer.
Despite only netting seven times in all competitions for United this season, Rashford has found form with the Midlands club providing a handful of assists to date, although he failed to score in his first nine games. However, the forward finally broke his 120-day goalless streak on Sunday, bagging a brace in their 3-0 FA Cup quarter-final triumph over Preston North End.
Even though his form has improved – earning him a recall to Thomas Tuchel's first England squad this month – it hasn't alleviated Stam's disappointment that he's no longer donning the Red Devils' jersey.
The United legend conceded that while Rashford was potentially on track to become a club icon, his inconsistent form and subsequent departure mean he no longer has the chance to cement his status as a great at the club he joined as a youngster.
Marcus Rashford of Aston Villa speaks with Unai Emery
Marcus Rashford has enjoyed a return to form at Aston Villa(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
"It's sad to see Marcus Rashford in an Aston Villa shirt because I thought he would be a very important player for Manchester United and stay for a very long time," lamented the Dutchman in a chat with Makthavare.se. "He is such a talented player and has all the credentials to be a top forward, he is creative, he can score goals, he can be a real danger.
"For me, Marcus Rashford cannot be considered a legend at Manchester United, I think he left too soon to be considered as one. When you look at all his seasons at the club and for how many he performed at his best, he had one season under Erik ten Hag in which they changed the style of play and he scored a lot of goals and was a danger to every defence he faced.
"He got a new contract and everybody expected his form to carry on, but to be considered a true United legend you have to show that form for seven, eight or nine seasons. That is the level you need to reach to be considered a legend."
Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam has offered his assistance to Ruud van Nistelrooy
Stam questioned the reasons behind Rashford's exit, suggesting there's a possibility he wasn't prepared to "sacrifice" enough to maintain top form at United. "I would've liked to see him have a big impact at United having come through the academy and shown glimpses of his ability, but it turned out to be too hard for him to perform," the Treble winner added (reports the Express).
"You need to give everything, you need to be willing to sacrifice a lot of things to perform and to eventually become a very important player for a club like Manchester United and maybe he wasn't willing to do that."
Speculation about Rashford's future with United is rife, and Villa's boss Emery has kept his cards close to his chest on whether they might activate Rashford's buy clause come summer. When pressed on the likelihood of Rashford sealing a permanent move next season, Emery answered: "We can't waste time speaking about that.
"If next year we are in the Champions League, in the Europa, or Conference League or not. Or we don't win a trophy – it is completely different."
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