Marcus Rashford has enjoyed a productive mid-season loan spell at Aston Villa
Marcus Rashford’s future as an Aston Villa player is believed to be hanging in the balance heading into the summer transfer window.
The England international moved to the West Midlands from Manchester United during the January transfer window and has enjoyed a productive spell at Villa Park which has seen him regain his place in the international setup while registering four goals and six assists in 17 appearances across all competitions. He made a strong contribution in particular during the Champions League and was lauded for wreaking havoc against eventual finalists Paris Saint-Germain in the club’s quarter-final exit.
Rashford left his boyhood club after a clash of personalities with United boss Ruben Amorim, who lambasted the 27-year-old for his productivity on the training field while claiming that he would rather select his 60-year-old goalkeeping coach than someone not giving the maximum in training.
The United academy graduate, who has scored 138 times in 426 appearances for his boyhood club, admitted in a high profile interview with journalist Henry Winter that he was seeking a new challenge. He said, via BBC Sport: "If I know that a situation is already bad I'm not going to make it worse. I've seen how other players have left in the past and I don't want to be that person. "When I leave I'll make a statement and it will be from me.”
Marcus Rashford ‘wants to remain at Aston Villa’
Aston Villa took a gamble on Marcus Rashford at a time when his career was at a crossroads. He hadn’t played for United in any capacity for over a month and had experienced a huge dip in form which had seen him fall down the pecking order for both club and country.
He’s since rejuvenated himself under Unai Emery and is keen to continue his progress at Villa Park next term, according to reports from Mirror Sport. The outlet claims Rashford is more inclined to remain at Aston Villa than seek a move abroad this summer, despite suggestions that Barcelona are keeping tabs on his progress.
Rashford’s arrival would offer Villa a valuable boost in a season where they are guaranteed to be playing some form of European football although the Champions League race remains undecided with two games to spare.
Aston Villa must overcome stumbling block to sign Marcus Rashford
Aston Villa have a £40m option to buy inserted into Marcus Rashford’s loan deal which can be activated if Unai Emery decides he’s a useful addition to his squad. Rashford arrived at around the same time as Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Marco Asensio, however, his deal was a straight loan move as opposed to Rashford where a pre-arrange fee has been finalised.
The United academy graduate is believed to have a large say in his future at Villa Park although it’s not entirely in his hands. Rashford is believed to be earning a lucrative £350,000 per week in his existing deal at Old Trafford which runs until 2028. If he remains on the same wage he would be Villa’s highest earner by a considerable margin which could affect their ability to strengthen in the summer when it comes to Profit and Sustainability rules.
It leaves Villa weighing up a decision on whether to pay Rashford’s existing wages, negotiate for a slightly lower salary or walk away from the deal and pursue other targets. Many Villa fans are worried they may have seen Rashford play in claret and blue for the final time due to a hamstring injury he sustained last month, which rules him out for the remaining two crunch Premier League ties against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
Continue Reading