Marcus Rashford to complete transfer on Sunday despite mixed messages from clubs
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has been in exile at Old Trafford - but now is heading to Aston Villa in a bid to get his career back on track
by Neil Moxley · The MirrorAston Villa are putting the finishing touches on a sensational loan swoop for Marcus Rashford.
The Manchester United forward will undergo a medical on Sunday ahead of a temporary move to Villa Park. The troubled former England ace is linking up with Unai Emery until the end of the season after the contractual details were ironed out during the last 24 hours.
Villa expect Rashford to complete the paperwork today - and then he will commit his immediate future to the Birmingham club. Talks have been accelerated after Jhon Duran joined Saudi side Al-Nassr for £77.5m, leaving the Champions League qualifiers with sufficient cash to spend on the striker’s wages.
Briefings from both clubs have clarified little with the official line from the sellers being that Villa are paying the majority of his £315,000-a-week deal. But his new club insist that is not the case and that they are certainly not going that far.
Asked directly about Rashford, Villa boss Unai Emery would not address the situation after the game. However, he did say: “We will see because we are working on different players.
“I don’t know exactly how we will finish with the players that we want.”
What is not in dispute, however, is that this will be a fresh start for the 27-year-old, who has left Old Trafford under a cloud after his commitment and work ethic were questioned by boss Ruben Amorim. And it could be that Rashford eventually leaves for good as Villa do have an option to buy - it is understood not to be an obligation - at the end of the season.
Emery needs back up both out wide - where Rashford normally operates - and through the middle. He needs insurance should No.1 striker Ollie Watkins pick up an injury - as happened at Molineux last night when the England international was substituted due to a groin strain.
Villa’s boss said: “Watkins has been consistent, playing matches. He’s been strong at recovering. He was injured - and hopefully it was small.
“But the idea is to replace Jhon Duran with another striker. We are working to get some players to join us on Monday because we have to replace Diego Carlos. We have to replace Emi Buendia.
“It is very difficult because we don’t want to replace them with players who will not help us like I want. We have to be very demanding and intelligent.”
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