Man Utd are ‘open’ to Marcus Rashford returning to Old Trafford from a loan spell with Aston Villa, according to the Red Devils’ former chief scout Mick Brown.
The Red Devils have had a rotten season so far with their 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in their last league match seeing them move down to 13th in the Premier League table.
Man Utd have won just eight of their 24 matches in the Premier League this season and only four clubs have scored fewer goals than Ruben Amorim’s side this season.
Amorim gave the green light during the January transfer window for Rashford to leave after he omitted the forward from all but one squad since their Manchester Derby win over Man City in December.
Reports revealed that the Man Utd boss and Rashford were not on speaking terms after he publicly criticised Rashford’s performance in training.
That led to Premier League rivals Aston Villa securing a loan move for the Man Utd forward before deadline day with the Villans reportedly having an option to buy the England international for around £40m.
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But now former chief scout Brown – who is still well-connected at Man Utd and in the Premier League – claims that the Red Devils are “open” to the England international returning if he proves himself.
Brown told Football Insider: “It’s going to be interesting. If he hits the ground running at Villa, starts scoring goals and playing well, which there’s no reason why he shouldn’t because he’s a quality player, then what?
“It begs the question what his next steps will be after his loan spell. He’s still a Manchester United player, he has to come back at the end of the season.
“So then what changes? I think they’d be open to his return if his performances and attitude improve. He has to prove that he will work hard to come back into the team – if that’s what he wants.
“But if he doesn’t do it at Villa, United will be proven right in that he is the problem in this situation.
“Then, perhaps they look to move him on permanently because that situation isn’t going to work for either of them. It’s going to be one to keep an eye on in the summer.”
Despite their terrible form, Man Utd legend Ryan Giggs reckons Amorim is the right man for the job and has pointed the finger at the club’s hierarchy for their poor performances and results.
Giggs said: “Like any business, recruitment needs to be right and it hasn’t been for the last ten years. We’ve just made poor decision after poor decision.
“Now it’s whether Ruben gets the players he needs, the support he needs and the time. We’re in a bad place at the moment but, first of all, I have to say I actually really like the manager.
“I think given a chance and given the time, Amorim will bring success back. If we get the right players in and the manager gets time, we will be alright. But at the moment, we are miles off it. We’re nowhere near – we are a long, long way behind – but it can soon turn around.
“We’ve tried giving managers a little bit of time but now he needs a bit longer – three or four transfer windows, I think. It’s whether he gets the players he needs, the support he needs, the time.”
