Ruben Amorim reportedly informed Marcus Rashford before his loan move to Aston Villa that he would not play for Manchester United again while Amorim was in charge. Rashford, 27, is set to spend the remainder of the season with Villa, who are believed to have a £40 million purchase option in the deal.
It seems there was little emotional connection between the player and manager as Rashford departs Old Trafford for the first time in his career. According to talkSPORT, Amorim told Rashford he wouldn’t be returning to the squad as long as he remained the manager.
Rashford has not played for United in nearly two months, with his last appearance coming in a narrow Europa League win against Viktoria Plzen. The England forward has missed the last 12 games under Amorim, who recently remarked that he would prefer to play 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital over putting Rashford on the bench in the current situation.
“Imagine a talent like Rashford, our team should be so much better with him – but he has to change,” Amorim said. “If he changes, we’re more than happy to include him – and we need it. But right now, we need to set some standards. We’re waiting for Rashford, if he truly wants it.”
Amorim has been unimpressed with Rashford’s training efforts, and after Rashford spoke about seeking a new challenge in an interview with Henry Winter following his exclusion from December’s Manchester derby, he was effectively ostracized.
Rashford is expected to undergo a medical before finalizing his loan move to Unai Emery’s side. He is believed to have said his goodbyes to his Old Trafford teammates, who have seen an improvement in form in recent weeks.
Villa are covering about 70% of Rashford’s £300,000-a-week wages until the season’s end, with the possibility of that amount rising to around 90% depending on performance-related clauses in his contract.
The move was funded after Villa sold Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr for £65 million. The Colombian forward had been linked with Premier League clubs like West Ham United, who had a £57 million bid rejected last month, as well as Chelsea, before completing his move to the Saudi Pro League to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Riyadh.
Rashford will aim to boost Villa’s push for Champions League qualification, with only four points separating them from a top-five finish. A 2-0 loss to Wolves on Saturday extended Villa’s winless streak to three league games.
Villa will face United on the final day of the Premier League season, a match that could be crucial. However, Amorim won’t face any embarrassment as Rashford won’t be allowed to play against his parent club due to the terms of the loan.
Marcus Rashford got blunt private message from Ruben Amorim ahead of Aston Villa loan
