The latest Man United transfer news as Marcus Rashford prepares to wave goodbye to loan club Aston Villa.
Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford has penned an emotional message following the end of his loan spell at Aston Villa. (Image: Adam Davy/PA Wire)
Former and current Manchester United players have underlined their support for Marcus Rashford after he sent an emotional message following the end of his loan spell with Aston Villa.
The England forward spent the second half of the season on loan at Villa Park, where he had a positive impact. He, however, missed their final games of the season with a hamstring injury.
During his loan spell, the 27-year-old scored four goals and also provided six assists in 17 appearances for Villa. The Midlands club have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer for £40million - but there's some doubt over whether or not that will happen with the player taking his time before making a decision over his future.
He is expected to leave United before the start of next season. Ruben Amorim is expected not to reintegrate him into the squad for pre-season.
Rashford has now hinted, in a goodbye message to Villa, that his long-term future may not lie at Villa Park. Taking to Instagram, he shared pictures from him time at the club along with an emotional message.
"Just a message of thanks to everyone here at Villa for what has - injury aside - been an incredible few months for me," he wrote. "It is a really special club and I appreciated the way Villa fans embraced me with open arms from 1st minute on the pitch.
"Manager, team, and coaching staff have all been brilliant. I know it's a huge disappointment not to have made the Champions League place - which everyone worked so hard all season for - but I know this club and team will come back stronger."
Villa forward Morgan Rogers replied in the comments section with a message that read: "My brother." And United players also showed their support to the soon-to-be-returning loanee.
Antony, who has also spent the second half of the season on loan, Christian Eriksen, Joshua Zirkzee, Andre Onana, Ethan Wheatley, Joe Hugill and Godwill Kukonki are the current United players to 'like' the post. Former United teammates Jesse Lingard, Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were also among those to 'like' the message.
As it stands, Rashford will return to Carrington for the first day of pre-season with United. But the next few weeks could determine where his future beyond that lies.
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.