Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford (Image: Getty Images)
Pundit Simon Jordan doesn't believe Aston Villa will pursue a permanent move for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford once the season comes to an end, despite the option they have inserted into the loan agreement with the Red Devils.
Rashford scored his first Villa goals on Sunday in the FA Cup quarter final win at Preston North End, having previously contributed four assists in his first nine outings in claret and blue. The England international now has a Champions League quarter final and an FA Cup semi-final to look forward to.
Villa brought Rashford to the club on a loan basis in the January transfer window and he hit the ground running with a series of impressive cameo appearances from the bench before breaking into Unai Emery's starting XI.
Talk Sport pundit Jordan, though, holds a more cynical view of Rashford's form and behaviour since the beginning of the end of his time at Old Trafford, where he was frozen out by boss Ruben Amorim and invited to leave the club in the winter window.
"They could've done, but he wasn't and hadn't been for some time," Jordan replied, when asked by former Villa defender Martin Keown about whether United could do with this in-form Rashford right now.
"He was too busy going out, and not training, under the last manager. He was too busy having birthday parties after getting smashed to pieces at Man City. He put out an image about how lovely the training was, under the new manager, and three weeks later he is announcing to the world's media that he wants to leave.
"I can guarantee you, and I think you're wise enough to know this, that Rashford is clever enough to know that if he goes to Aston Villa and stinks it out there, he's got a problem coming his way. Everybody with half a brain knew he was going to lift a leg.
"I do think the system helps him as well. Emery, and [England boss Thomas] Tuchel, have backed him in a very limited way. Tuchel hasn't got to deal with him that much - he's got to pick him x amount of times and he's got to get us to the World Cup.
"He did the same a couple of years ago when he wanted to get into the World Cup squad for Qatar - all of a sudden turned up, 'here I am' and bothered to play a decent season. I don't think Villa will buy him, I think they're too wise for it. They're not going to want to pay £325,000 a week and a £50m transfer fee."
View gallery
Everyday, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Aston Villa content.
Our dedicated reporter John Townley - who you can follow on X by clicking here - follows Villa home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur - that's why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Villa newsletter here.
You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive's Villa team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.
If you prefer reading our Villa stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Villa as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.
Our weekly Aston Villa podcast, Claret And Blue, is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here, while you can access the podcast on Spotify here and via Apple here.
Should Villa sign Rashford permanently? Tell us HERE