Marcus Rashford is reportedly contemplating a loan transfer to Aston Villa as he prepares to part ways with Manchester United. This potential move has emerged as a surprising yet intriguing option for the England international, with Villa's manager, Unai Emery, personally advocating for discussions to bring the 27-year-old to the club.
Rashford has not featured in the United squad for the last twelve matches under the management of Ruben Amorim. He first expressed his desire for a new challenge back in December. Initially, a transfer to Barcelona appeared to be his preferred choice; however, complications surrounding a move to the Camp Nou have intensified as the January transfer window approaches its conclusion.
Recent reports from Metro.co.uk and the Manchester Evening News indicate that Rashford has now shown interest in a move to Villa Park, with growing optimism about the feasibility of finalising a deal before the window closes. Villa are actively seeking attacking reinforcements following Jhon Duran's departure to Al-Nassr for a substantial £64 million. The club has also been linked with Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel, although it seems the France Under-21 forward favours a transfer to either Arsenal or Manchester United, having already declined an offer from Tottenham.
Arsenal have also been rumoured to be pursuing Ollie Watkins, yet Villa have thus far resisted any attempts to sell their striker. Emery reaffirmed on Friday that Watkins is content with his current situation at the club. This season, Rashford has scored seven goals in 24 appearances; however, he has struggled to find favour under Amorim, who has called for increased effort from the forward during training sessions.
While Amorim has not entirely ruled out the possibility of Rashford returning to the squad, he emphasised the need for the player to "change" before that can happen. The United manager even suggested that he would prefer to field his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach, Jorge Vital, over Rashford or any other player who is not fully committed in training.
"Imagine a talent like Rashford, our team should be so much better with him - but he has to change," Amorim remarked on Wednesday. "If he changes, we are more than welcome [to include him] - and we need it. But in this moment, we have to set some standards. We are waiting for Rashford, if he wants it really bad."
Amorim further noted, "You [the media] want to make it personal, I have nothing against Marcus, but I have to make the same rules for everybody. We need goals, we need [players who can go] one against one, we need threat in the final third."
Should Rashford secure a move to Villa, it could also facilitate United's pursuit of Bayern’s promising talent, Tel. Meanwhile, Villa offers Rashford the opportunity to compete in the Champions League this season, having recently secured a place in the knockout stages of the competition. This prospect may prove enticing for a player eager to reignite his career and contribute to a club on the rise.