The signing of Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford is already reportedly causing tension at Aston Villa with new signing Donyell Malen unhappy.
Rashford moved to Villa Park towards the end of the January transfer window with his time at Old Trafford seemingly coming to an end.
Ruben Amorim had left the England international out of all but one of his squads since their 2-1 Manchester Derby win over Man City in December.
The Man Utd boss eventually called out Rashford over his poor performances on the training ground and even said he’d rather play goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital over the forward.
Rashford admitted he was ready for a “new challenge” if it came his way and Aston Villa sealed a loan move before the deadline with an option to make the deal permanent for around £40m.
The Man Utd loanee played fairly well on his Aston Villa debut with the Villans beating Tottenham 2-1 in the FA Cup to progress to the fifth round.
However, the signing of Rashford hasn’t pleased everyone, with The Athletic claiming that Malen was left ‘deeply disappointed’ after the England international was included in Aston Villa’s Champions League squad, while the former Borussia Dortmund forward was left out.
Malen, who played in last season’s Champions League final, arrived in the winter transfer window as Aston Villa’s first signing with Aston Villa agreeing a €26m fee with Dortmund for his services.
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Speaking after signing his contract at Aston Villa, Malen said: “It’s a big thing, the Champions Leagu. It’s the biggest competition in the world. I played in it for the last few years so for me it was a very important thing when deciding to move. This is where you want to play.”
Explaining how he had to make a difficult conversation with Malen, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery said: “Of course, it’s not a good decision I had to take yesterday, but I spoke with Andres and Donyell to tell them the decision and I argued my decision with them.
“I spoke with him [Malen] and tried to be honest and knowing it was not fair for him. But the necessary decision I had to take was in that direction.”
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist reckons Rashford will star for Aston Villa in the final few months of the season as there is pressure on his shoulders.
McCoist told talkSPORT: “There’s a hell of an amount of pressure on Marcus Rashford’s shoulders after moving to Aston Villa – which I think is a good thing. He was in a comfort zone at Manchester United, and you have to be critical of his attitude around wanting to play.
“He’s had issues with two successive United managers now and fans will be thinking that Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim can’t both be wrong! Therefore, you’d suggest that he has to look at himself to an extent. There would have been far less focus on him if he had moved to a European club. Instead, he’ll be playing in a top English team competing for Europe with a great manager – which is why I think he will find his form!”
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