Chelsea loanee Jadon Sancho has posted a dig at parent club Manchester United after Marcus Rashford made his debut for Aston Villa.
Rashford followed Sancho in leaving Man Utd during the January transfer window as he joined Aston Villa on loan with an option to buy.
His Man Utd exit came after Sancho’s departure to Chelsea during last year’s summer transfer window, which was a loan with an obligation to buy.
Sancho endured a dire spell at Man Utd as he failed to live up to his £73m price tag following his move from Borussia Dortmund.
The winger butted heads with former boss Erik ten Hag and was banished from the first team before he was sent to Chelsea in the summer.
Rashford meanwhile has been heavily linked with an exit for several years and he felt a fresh start was required following the appointment of Ruben Amorim.
READ: Aston Villa star left ‘deeply disappointed’ by Rashford decision before FA Cup clash
The England international has massively declined since scoring 30 goals in all competitions during the 2022/23 season. It was hoped that Amorim’s arrival would kickstart his career but he announced at the end of 2024 that he intended to leave in January.
Rashford was keen on a move to Barcelona and was also linked with AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Napoli, but his poor form and huge salary proved major stumbling blocks.
The 27-year-old arguably needed a move to Europe so he could start afresh away from the limelight, but Aston Villa signed Rashford as a replacement for Jhon Duran after he was sold to Saudi Pro League Al Nassr.
Rashford looked lively off the bench in his Aston Villa debut, playing for 24 minutes in his side’s 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round win against Tottenham Hotspur.
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Post-match, Rashford posted on social media. He said: “Thank you for the warm welcome. Great team performance.”
In response, Sancho simply replied: “Freedom”.
Speaking after Aston Villa’s victory, Villans boss Unai Emery offered his verdict on Rashford’s debut against Spurs, saying he was impressed with one of his qualities.
“Andres Garcia and Malen both played in the idea we had,” Emery said.
“They were consistent and focused. As well, Marcus Rashford and Asensio, we watched their skill and how they helped us and will help us again in the next months in the different competitions we will face.
“We are in a new way after the changes we did. We are demanding because we still need to improve due to some tactical issues and how we want to compete in the Premier League.”
