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Aston Villa have confirmed they will not be making Marcus Rashford’s move from Manchester United permanent.
Rashford fell out with Ruben Amorim not long after the Portuguese coach took over from Erik ten Hag. The forward initially made a strong impression under Amorim, opening the scoring in the new era with a goal during a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town, before adding a brace in the 4-0 thrashing of Everton.
But their relationship quickly deteriorated, with reports suggesting they had a heated exchange at the training ground after Amorim accused Rashford of going out the night before. The England international is said to have demanded that Amorim provide proof.
Amorim later admitted he couldn’t get Rashford to buy into his footballing philosophy or commit to the standards he demanded.
With Rashford sidelined and omitted from numerous matchday squads, United chose to loan him out, aiming to protect his market value and ensure his career didn’t stall.
He joined Villa in January, where he enjoyed an uptick in form.
Rashford scored four goals and provided an additional 17 appearances during his time at Villa Park. Unai Emery’s side had an option to make his stay a permanent one but now, they’ve confirmed that they will not take it up.
As such, Rashford has returned to United.
Villa released a statement saying, “Marco Asensio, Marcus Rashford and Axel Disasi each joined Villa in February on loan deals until the end of the 2024/25 season.”
“Forward Rashford made 17 appearances for the club and registered a total of nine goal contributions across all competitions, bagging a brace in our FA Cup quarter-final against Preston North End.”
“Everyone at Aston Villa would like to thank each of the players for their efforts and amazing commitment to the club and wish them all the very best for the future.”
For Rashford, attention now shifts to finding a new club, as he is not thought to have a future while Amorim is still in charge at Old Trafford.
The 27-year-old has not been short of suitors, with the likes of Newcastle, West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Betis and AC Milan all mentioned to be eyeing him.
However, Rashford has his sights firmly set on a dream switch to Barcelona. While the Blaugrana are keeping tabs on him, a number of factors still need to fall into place for a transfer to happen, so negotiations are far from advanced.
Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images
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