According to a report, Unai Emery and Aston Villa have reached an agreement on whether to sign Marcus Rashford permanently after his loan spell at Manchester United.
Why did Marcus Rashford leave Manchester United?
Before the winter window, Rashford was repeatedly excluded from Rúben Amorim’s squad by Manchester United. The Portuguese coach cited a lack of commitment and attitude in training as the reason.
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A winter transfer became inevitable, and after interest from several top European clubs tied up, Rashford ended up at Aston Villa – on loan.
Success
Together with Marco Asensio (also on loan, he from PSG), Rashford has impressed at Villa:
- Asensio: 8 goals
- Rashford: 3 goals + 5 assists (8 points in 11 games)
Aston Villa do not have an option to buy Asensio, but they do have an agreement to buy Rashford for £40 million
According to Sky Sports, both Emery and the Villa management have agreed that they want to sign Rashford permanently.
The salary question – will Rashford take a pay cut?
Rashford now earns £300,000 a week at United. Villa hope he will take a pay cut to secure a transfer that can revive his career – both at club and national team level.
Criticism from Ben Foster: “Is he really the solution?”
Former national team goalkeeper Ben Foster is not convinced:
- “Coming on against Nottingham Forest, Emery expected him to keep the ball and play the team up. But Rashford wasn’t willing to ‘take the brunt’ or fight physically.”
- “I don’t know if he’s the answer for Villa.”
Rashford’s path at Aston Villa so far:
- 2 February: Loan agreement announced
- 9 February: Debut as a substitute against Tottenham (FA Cup)
- 22 February: 2 assists against Chelsea
- 4 March: First Champions League start since November 2023
- 30 March: First goal (two goals) against Preston (FA Cup)
- 2 April: First league goal (against Brighton)
Now it remains to be seen:
- Does Villa pay £40 million? Or is there haggling for a lower sum?
- Will PSG (who are also interested) become a threat?
One thing is clear: Rashford has found his form again – and Villa want to keep him.
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