Wayne Rooney called out over Marcus Rashford transfer claim at Aston Villa
Marcus Rashford has divided opinion at Aston Villa since joining the Villans on loan from Manchester United in January.
The forward has returned to the England squad and been lauded for several of his displays in claret and blue, and was chosen by Unai Emery to lead the attack against Paris Saint-Germain (15 April) over Ollie Watkins.
Rashford has plenty to address with Man United when he returns to Old Trafford, having been at severe loggerheads with Ruben Amorim before the United boss sanctioned his move south to Villa Park.
Wayne Rooney accused of Rashford ‘drivel’ live on talkSPORT
Rashford put in a dominant performance for Aston Villa as they came agonisingly close to completing one of Europe’s greatest comebacks from four goals down on aggregate.
Bearing in mind this was against a PSG side unbeaten in Ligue 1 all season and who have eliminated Liverpool over two legs already, Rashford gained plenty of plaudits.
After the match, Wayne Rooney insisted Rashford wants to resume his Manchester United career and reignite his status at his boyhood club.
Danny Murphy and Simon Jordan had discussed the comments on talkSPORT, with Murphy claiming on Rashford’s future: “I’ve seen Rashford’s outburst about wanting to leave and find a new challenge, but Rooney probably knows him better than me. So I’d imagine he’s had a conversation with him.”
Crucially, Jordan offered the flip side of the coin: “Or, he just talks drivel. There’s that possibility, isn’t there?”
Rashford still has plenty to play for at Aston Villa this campaign, with Champions League qualification via the Premier League, as well as an exciting journey in the FA Cup, both still up for grabs.
Aston Villa regularly attracting high-calibre players
Aston Villa have been hugely committed to securing a high-calibre squad, investing a gargantuan 96 per cent of their annual revenue on wages, far dwarfing the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Rashford’s situation is a precarious one to deal with. The confrontational stance between he and Amorim leaves his future in a strange position.
| Marcus Rashford – career appearances | APPS | GOALS |
| Manchester United | 426 | 138 |
| Aston Villa (loan) | 15 | 3 |
| England | 62 | 17 |
| Total | 503 | 158 |
Villa, as well, will not want to commit too much financially towards Rashford as they know what a difficult position United find themselves in with their squad, as highlighted by Graeme Souness on Saturday.
The summer will certainly pose an interesting set of developments regarding the Three Lions ace.