Marcus Rashford has broken his silence on his loan spell at Aston Villa, addressing his future in a public message amid ongoing speculation over a possible permanent move from Man Utd.
The 26-year-old joined Villa on loan in January and made an immediate impact, scoring four goals and registering six assists across three competitions before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the final four games of the season.
That setback also means he will play no part in England’s upcoming fixtures next month, bringing a premature end to a loan spell that had appeared to revive his career.
Now, with his temporary deal at Villa officially over, Rashford has taken to social media to thank the club and its supporters in a message that suggests a permanent switch is no longer on the table.
“Just a message of thanks to everyone here at Villa for what has (injury aside) been an incredible few months for me,” Rashford wrote.
“It is a really special club and I appreciated the way Villa fans embraced me with open arms from the 1st minute on the pitch. Manager, team, and coaching staff have all been brilliant.
“I know it is a huge disappointment not to have made the Champions League place, which everyone worked so hard all season for, but I know this club and team will come back stronger.”
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Rashford made 17 appearances in total under Unai Emery, featuring in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa Conference League.
His form earned praise from the Villa boss, with the forward often deployed across the front line as part of a fluid attacking setup before injury cut his season short.
Villa had the option to make Rashford’s move permanent, but that now appears unlikely following the club’s failure to secure Champions League qualification.
Rashford is not expected to have a future at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, who is planning a major rebuild at Old Trafford this summer.
Barca sporting director Deco confirmed the club’s admiration for Rashford earlier this week, telling RAC1: “We like Luis [Diaz], we like Rashford, and we like other players. Out of respect, talking about players who are under contract with other clubs is complicated.”
New Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has also publicly praised the England international, saying: “I don’t want to speak about players which are not in my team, but of course, Luis Díaz and Marcus Rashford are fantastic players. I like them and we’ll see what happens.”
