Marcus Rashford knows he must be doing something right when drawing praise from Roy Keane even in defeat.
“Once he’s got grass in front of him, he’s almost impossible to stop,” Keane said following Aston Villa’s 2-1 loss at Manchester City.
“He was a threat. There are still areas he can improve on, but when he is making runs in behind and getting that service, you ask the defenders, Marcus is a nightmare to play against.”
That display at the Etihad was further proof the Rashford revival is still gathering momentum on loan at Aston Villa, where a seemingly week-on-week improvement has displaced Ollie Watkins and could yet deliver the club’s first silverware in 30 years.
However, defeat at City dampened Villa’s Champions League prospects and a day later, talk of Rashford’s future – and particularly his demands – took centre-stage.
He reportedly wants Champions League football. He doesn’t want to move to London. And he doesn’t believe he will play for Manchester United again under Ruben Amorim.
So, just as Rashford has played his way into a position of power, how does that shift his options come the summer?
Villa prospects diminish
Villa have an option to buy Rashford for £40m, but the forward’s desire for Champions League football diminishes the chances of the transfer materialising given the club are trailing in the race to finish inside the top five.
Financial constraints as a result of failing to reach the Champions League would make Rashford’s wages on a four or five-year contract virtually a non-starter.
It means the 16.5 per cent chance Opta have given Villa of finishing fifth or higher also reflects their chances of signing Rashford. It isn’t out of the question. It has just become very unlikely and is out of their hands.
Not Arsenal, Chelsea or Spurs
Unless Rashford is willing to cause an earthquake in the North West, he isn’t joining Liverpool or Manchester City, while his aversion to London also rules out Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham – yes, even Spurs, because let’s not forget they can still reach the Champions League through the backdoor of winning the Europa League.
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Arsenal or Chelsea have the makings of a better fit, but opportunities would be more limited at the Gunners, while the Blues are far from guaranteed Champions League football.
Why, exactly, Rashford does not want a move to London remains unclear, but perhaps Raheem Sterling – who has been unable to rediscover his Manchester City form in the capital – has aired caution to his old England teammate regarding moves to Arsenal and Chelsea.
Newcastle or Nottingham Forest?
Rashford’s Champions League exploits at Villa will certainly have caught the eye of Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, who will both be tentatively planning for a season back in the big time.
In this regard, there is still plenty of work still to be done on the pitch with a month to go, but Rashford’s ready-made experience would surely make him an attractive option.
Reach the Champions League and Rashford suddenly becomes an obvious marquee signing Newcastle or Forest could realistically make.
The more you say it out loud, the more Rashford to Newcastle make sense.
Abroad to Barcelona
In essentially reducing his transfer prospects within England to Newcastle or Forest, the likelihood of Rashford moving abroad therefore increases.
Barcelona’s interest was reported by The i Paper upon his loan move to Villa in February, and while they are still reportedly monitoring the 27-year-old, it is not thought his signature is a priority.
The financial state of the La Liga leaders is probably another obstacle. The club have exceeded salary limits in recent years, thus leading to issues with registering players (a very succinct way to describe this ongoing mess), and it may therefore be difficult for the club to match Rashford’s £350,000-a-week wages.
The unwanted option
Rashford’s demands beyond his salary – Champions League and not London – ultimately make the unwanted option even more likely: another season at Manchester United.
It may come about, not through want of trying, but because United are the obvious fallback outcome on account of them being his current employers.
And unless there is a resolution with Amorim, it would only prove detrimental to both the club and player, a backwards step after such a positive half-season away.
Rashford may therefore change his mind if all else fails, but he must also be prepared for a possibility that former United captain Wayne Rooney would still like to see.
“I hope he goes back to Manchester United and plays like he did today,” Rooney said after Rashford’s display against Paris Saint-Germain.
He added: “That’s what we all want to see as Manchester United fans. He wants to play for Manchester United, 100 per cent.”
Under Amorim, though? When push comes to shove, Rashford may have little choice than to extend the olive branch in the hope United’s boss grasps the other end.
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