Aston Villa to make shock Marcus Rashford U-turn after Philippe Coutinho ‘bust’
Philippe Coutinho could be why Aston Villa do not buy Marcus Rashford from Manchester United.
With the season coming to a close, Aston Villa have a decision to make regarding their £40million option to make Rashford’s move from Manchester United permanent.
The forward was considered a lost cause at Old Trafford, but he has had an upturn in form in Birmingham, bagging three goals and six assists in 16 games.
At 27 years of age, the England international is at the peak of his career, and there is a case to be made about the Villans triggering the clause to buy him.
Rashford in Coutinho twist
With five more games left to play, Aston Villa may wait until the end of the season to decide whether or not to buy Rashford.
However, Steve Nicol has suggested that a decision may have already been made at Villa Park.
| Matches | Starts | Minutes | Goals | Assists |
| 16 | 9 | 864′ | 3 | 6 |
The ESPN pundit believes Coutinho could be the reason why the Villans are reluctant to make the forward’s move from Manchester United permanent.
He recalled how Villa forked out a significant amount of money in transfer fees and wages to acquire Coutinho’s services following a short loan stint, only for the Brazilian to end up being a ‘bust’.
The Liverpool legend is certain that Unai Emery’s side will not take a similar gamble with Rashford.
“Every time I think about this one, I think about Coutinho”, Nicol said on ESPN FC (18 April).
“Coutinho could be the reason why they don’t sign Rashford. They took a gamble, they signed Coutinho, they paid a fee for him, paid him huge wages, and it was a complete bust.
“I think that will go against Rashford because they are going to have to pay money for Rashford, and the salary that he is on… are Aston Villa really going to gamble on Marcus Rashford?
“I am not so sure, and I think a lot of it could be down to the reason of Coutinho a couple of years ago.”
Aston Villa to send Rashford back to Manchester United
Nicol may be half correct about his prediction about Rashford, as he could in fact be on his way back to Manchester United. However, that will probably have nothing to do with Coutinho.
Although the £40m buy option is tempting, it is worth noting that Aston Villa would have to cover the entirety of his wages if he were to join them permanently, and that may not be ideal.
Furthermore, the Englishman is still hopeful of getting a move to Barcelona, with PSG also credited as long-term admirers.
If one of those clubs express an interest in the forward, Villa may no longer be able to persuade him to join them.