Man United legend Roy Keane has shared what has surprised him about Marcus Rashford and his move to Aston Villa, with the winger in line to make his debut for the club against Tottenham in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Unai Emery thrilled after Aston Villa seal Marcus Rashford deal
The Red Devils outcast was heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford in the months leading up to January.
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He’ll be a big miss.
Barcelona, AC Milan and even West Ham were believed to be among the many clubs showing interest at the time, but it was eventually Villa who moved forward to pursue a winter deal – signing the England international on a six-month loan.
Unai Emery’s side are covering up to 75 per cent of his £300,000-per-week salary, and this could rise to 90 per cent depending on performances, with Villa’s head coach thrilled by this transfer and calling it an exciting challenge for both parties.
“My challenge with him is a huge challenge. His challenge with us is exciting,” said Emery on Rashford’s arrival.
“I don’t want to know the reason he is leaving from Manchester but I am very happy keeping him here and I am very happy to try to exploit and help him recover his performances, individually and collectively.
“The conversation I had with him was a very normal conversation with a player and coach, speaking about football. I only want the best football from him. I think he has huge potential to exploit.”
The 27-year-old’s rumoured price tag for a permanent deal stands at around £40 million, but if Rashford is to convince NSWE to spend that amount of cash on top of his wages, he’ll need to perform – with this temporary stint almost acting as a trial period.
“I would like to thank Manchester United and Aston Villa for making this loan deal happen,” Rashford said.
“I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me, but Aston Villa was an easy decision – I really admire the way that Aston Villa have been playing this season, and the manager’s ambitions.
“I just want to play football and am excited to get started. I wish everyone at Manchester United all the best for the rest of the season.”
Keane makes “surprise” claim about Rashford joining Aston Villa
Speaking to ITV, via GOAL, United icon Keane shared what “surprises” him about Rashford joining Villa – namely that he didn’t pursue a fresh challenge abroad instead. The Irishman also questions whether a switch to the Midlands is really the recipe for Rashford to rediscover the peak of his form.
“If he’s lost the hunger at Man United – how will he get it at Aston Villa? Once you lose the hunger it’s hard to get it back,” said Keane.
“It’s sad but it’s been on the cards for the last year or two, especially since the new manager has come in. Clearly, they didn’t get on.
“The manager got no reaction from Marcus. The strange thing for me was I thought when Marcus was going to leave Man United he was going to go abroad and try something new. A new adventure for him, a different league, a different challenge. To go to Villa surprises me a little bit. I know Aston Villa are going along nicely, but you can’t compare them to Manchester United.”