Marcus Rashford is set to return to Manchester United training next week with his future still up in the air after Aston Villa rejected the chance to sign him permanently.
Rashford, 27, has been exiled at Old Trafford, last playing for the Red Devils in December and he was loaned out to Villa for the second half of the season.
The forward impressed at Villa Park, scoring four goals and adding six assists in 17 appearances in all competitions, but he is not in Ruben Amorim’s plans.
The 27-year-old’s contract, which sees him earn £315,000-per-week, runs until 2028, and his wages could prove to be a stumbling block to any transfer, while United value him at £40million.
Rashford has been linked to a whole host of clubs across Europe this summer, including Newcastle and Barcelona, with the Catalan giants said to be the forward’s dream destination.
As part of their loan deal, Villa also had a £40m option to buy Rashford, but Unai Emery’s side have not activated that clause, with the club confirming as such on Monday afternoon.
In a statement titled ‘Quintet depart Villa’, the club explained: ‘Aston Villa would like to thank Robin Olsen and Kortney Hause following the expiration of their contracts, as well as our loan players as they return to their respective parent clubs.
‘Marco Asensio, Marcus Rashford and Axel Disasi each joined Villa in February on loan deals until the end of the 2024/25 season.
‘Forward Rashford made 17 appearances for the club and registered a total of nine goal contributions across all competitions, bagging a brace in our FA Cup quarter-final against Preston North End.
‘Everyone at Aston Villa would like to thank each of the players for their efforts and amazing commitment to the club and wish them all the very best for the future.’
And, with United set to return to pre-season training next Monday, Rashford could face an awkward reunion with Amorim.
The return of the Red Devils’ stars will be staggered given their various international commitments at the end of the campaign, so Rashford’s first session back at his boyhood club could be delayed to avoid any lingering issues.
But, if Rashford is unable to find a way out, he will have no choice but to eventually return to training under Amorim, who has been clear that the 62-cap England international does not have a future under him.
Amorim first dropped Rashford for the Manchester derby in December, a game which United won 2-1, and the forward failed to feature again before he joined Villa on deadline day.
Meanwhile, shortly after he was first excluded by Amorim, Rashford, who has played 426 times for United, dropped the bombshell that he was ready for a ‘new challenge’.
‘For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps,’ he told Henry Winter in an interview.
‘When I leave it’s going to be “no hard feelings”. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.
‘If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse. I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.’
When asked if he would always be a Red at heart, Rashford – who has been at the club from the age of seven and who made his debut in 2016 – replied: ‘Yes! 100 per cent. 100 per cent.’
Before he departed to Villa, Amorim had then said Rashford ‘has to change’ to win back his place and it is very unlikely that he will ever play for United again.
United have also already signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves this summer and are hoping to add Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, knocking Rashford further down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
