Man Utd have identified Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey as a potential replacement for Villa-bound Marcus Rashford, according to reports.
Rashford was left out of the Red Devils’ matchday squad for their 2-1 win over Man City in the Manchester Derby and has only made one squad since then.
That saw the Man Utd forward admit he was open to a “new challenge” away from the club, while Ruben Amorim recently hit out at Rashford over his performances in training.
Amorim insisted he would rather select Man Utd goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital while Rashford continued to lack effort in training sessions.
It seemed like Barcelona was the only destination Rashford wanted until news of interest from Aston Villa and now the Man Utd winger is set to complete a move to Villa Park on loan.
The same journalist who broke the news of Aston Villa’s interest in Rashford has reported today that the Man Utd forward is now “undergoing a medical” at the club.
Matteo Moretto wrote on X: ‘Marcus Rashford is undergoing a medical with Aston Villa.’
And now The Athletic journalist Laurie Whitwell claims that Man Utd could turn to Aston Villa’s Bailey – who moved to Villa Park from Bayer Leverkusen for £25m in 2021 – or Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel as they look to replace Rashford.
‘Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel and Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey are options being considered by Manchester United ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.
‘Any move for Bailey would be separate from Marcus Rashford’s proposed loan move to Villa for the remainder of 2024-25. While Rashford predominantly plays as a left-sided attacking player, Jamaican international Bailey operates on the right flank.
‘Rashford’s exit means United would like to add an offensive player if at all possible to help fill the gap in Ruben Amorim’s squad.
‘United are yet to advance talks with either Villa or Bayern but both have been discussed should they be made available for a loan move ahead of the transfer window closing.’
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On why Rashford’s exit on loan makes sense for Man Utd, Whitwell added:
‘Manchester United would traditionally be wary of sending a player to an English rival, fearful of the prospect of them performing well and making their difficulties at Old Trafford seem the fault of the club. Jesse Lingard’s loan to West Ham springs to mind.
‘But the new United regime is doing things differently and they are ready to sanction a Premier League exit now the money looks like making sense. Villa would be paying a significant portion of Rashford’s £325,000-a-week wages and committing to a buy option.
‘The appeal from a United perspective is that Rashford is so far out of the picture under Amorim that his salary is wasted cash. Recouping some of that at least boosts the bank balance and should Rashford reignite his form, then he becomes a more valuable asset to sell in the summer.
‘Villa’s place in the Champions League, and Rashford’s eligibility, presents the possibility of him reminding people he is capable of delivering on the biggest of stages. Rashford appears to have been persuaded of the appeal.’
