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Rashford behaviour at Aston Villa, 'ridiculous' text, Man Utd 'swap deal' plan
Marcus Rashford's loan move to Aston Villa has got off to a decent start, but the Manchester United forward's future remains shrouded in mystery for the time being
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Marcus Rashford is approaching a pivotal crossroads in his career.
With his Manchester United future hanging by a thread, proving himself at Aston Villa isn't just important, it's crucial. The 27-year-old has made a promising start in the West Midlands, but the road ahead looks anything but straightforward.
After 18 months of largely underwhelming form, Rashford can ill afford any slip-ups as he battles to recapture the brilliance that once defined his game, particularly with questions about his discipline and attitude persisting. Whispers of summer moves both domestic and abroad are beginning to intensify too, with United and Villa both actively working out what might be possible.
Here, Mirror Football examines the current state of play and what the future may hold for Rashford.
Behaviour at VillaHe might be goalless in three appearances for his new club, but Rashford's loan move to Villa has reinvigorated him. That's according to former United keeper Ben Foster, who believes the forward has looked "happier" and reinvigorated on the pitch over the past few weeks.
That said, Foster insists it's too early to know whether the move will be a long-term success. "I still think it's a little bit too early to jump on the bandwagon," he said on the latest episode of his Fozcast podcast. "I think everybody's buzzing to try and jump on and go: 'Oh, they've made a mistake by sending him out. What are they thinking? He should be doing this at Manchester United.'
"But he [does] look happier. He looks like he's willing to get the ball and drive to try and take players on. He just needs to keep doing that." Rashford's behaviour on the pitch in a Villa pitch has been in stark contrast to the downtrodden figure he exhibited at United.
Rashford has seemed happier and more energetic on the pitch since joining Villa (Image:
Visionhaus/Getty Images)'Ridiculous' textFoster isn't the only one impressed with Rashford's start. Villa youngster Cole Brannigan has been blown away by the England international in training and waxed lyrical about his technical ability.
"We played them on the Wednesday and he (Rashford) trained... he's by far the best player I've seen technically with the ball - he was absolutely ridiculous," Brannigan told News Letter. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"We have a family group chat and I just put in 'Marcus Rashford is absolutely ridiculous'. Having Marcus Rashford at the club, he's someone for me to look up to."
This comes just weeks after Ruben Amorim brutally claimed he would rather name his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach as a substitute than the 27-year-old or any other United player who did not give their 'maximum' in training.
Rashford has been turning heads in training (Image:
Getty)Transfer blowRashford shouldn't get too comfortable though, because hopes of Villa making his loan move permanent in the summer are dwindling. It's understood that there's a £40million option to buy clause included in the deal, but Unai Emery's side look increasingly unlikely to activate it due to mounting financial concerns.
According to The Times, the club are close to breaching UEFA's squad cost ratio (SCR) rules for 2024. Like the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), SCR was introduced to ensure financial fair play, with clubs limited to spending 80 per cent of their revenue on player costs, such as transfer fees, player wages and agent fees.
Because Villa are facing a fight to avoid falling foul of the rules, their summer transfer plans are likely to be curbed. Rashford's wages are also thought to be a major stumbling block, with the forward eager to avoid a major drop in salary from the mammoth £325,000-a-week deal he's on at United.
Ruben Amorim's relationship with Marcus Rashford appears beyond repair (Image:
Getty Images)Potential swap dealOf course, Villa isn't Rashford's only exit strategy. Several clubs were eyeing him up last month, many of whom may come sniffing around again in the summer.
Bayern Munich have a long-standing interest in Rashford, and with United reportedly keen on the Bavarian club's young midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, a swap deal could be on the cards. Pavlovic has struggled for regular game time under Vincent Kompany this season, and could be lured to Old Trafford with the promise of a starting spot in Ruben Amorim's team.
The Red Devils know the 20-year-old won't come cheap, and if negotiations open in the coming months, they are expected to propose sending Rashford to the Allianz Arena in exchange, according to reports. Rashford's high wages and homegrown status mean that United will be eager to get him off their books if, as expected, his relationship with Amorim is deemed irreparable.
United may use Rashford as a makeweight in a deal to sign Bayern Munich's Aleksandar Pavlovic (Image:
Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)As a result, the club may have to get creative to part ways with the Wythenshawe native, especially with teams of varying stature and financial power closely monitoring the situation.
Rashford's 'dream' moveHe might look 'happy' at Villa, but Rashford's first choice destination is believed to be Barcelona. Like Bayern, the La Liga giants have had their eye on Rashford for a while, and although their interest hasn't turned into anything official, it's understood they're mulling over a summer move.
According to The Sun, a source close to Rashford said: "Marcus is confident that if he rediscovers his form at Villa Park and starts bagging goals, Barcelona will revive their interest, especially as a transfer price has been established."
Rashford's dream move is one to Barcelona (Image:
Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)Barcelona are one of several top European clubs walking financial tightropes, and precisely how a move for Rashford would be funded - and how much they'd be willing to pay him - isn't known. First-team minutes will also be hard to come by.
Robert Lewandowski remains lethal in front of goal and is expected to be the club's first-choice centre forward for the foreseeable future, despite being 36. Meanwhile, both Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have been flying this season and look to have nailed down starting spots on respective wings.
Nevertheless, if Barcelona come calling, Rashford is expected to jump at the chance to go there.
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