Gary Neville has stated Aston Villa are a “far better team” than Manchester United at the moment, and Marcus Rashford exiting Old Trafford “had to happen” after getting “battered” by Ruben Amorim.
Rashford has been sidelined by Amorim since early December. The manager has not been a fan of what he’s seen from the United forward, and has not been shy of saying that on multiple occasions.
He is closing in on a loan move to Villa, with the Midlanders having an option to buy him for £40million at the end of that.
Former United defender Neville feels the move is right for Rashford, with Villa ticking a lot of boxes that United no longer do for him.
“It had to happen. He had to get out of the club. He’s been battered in the last few weeks by his manager. That’s the most important person in football, your coach,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“Some of the statements from Ruben Amorim towards Marcus Rashford have been brutal, emphatically saying he doesn’t want him. I don’t see how there’s any way back after the comments made.
“Moving onto the question about Villa, I think there are a number of things in his favour. He’s going to a far better team at this moment in time. He’s going to a coach who’s world class, which I think is a real opportunity for him. I think it puts pressure on Marcus to perform for Unai Emery.
“If you don’t play for him, then you’re saying, well, Ruben Amorim might be the problem, Erik Ten Hag might be the problem. Unai Emery can’t be the problem for Marcus Rashford, he has to play well for him. The other thing is the style of play at Villa, which could suit Marcus Rashford.
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“Maybe the spotlight won’t be on him quite as much as at Manchester United, but certainly there’ll still be a lot of attention. They’re in a lot of competitions, they’ve still got a lot to play for. It’s a real opportunity for Marcus. The last thing he needs now is for someone to say ‘go on, enjoy yourself’. He needs to have discipline in his game.
“He needs to be coached, he needs to know from the team exactly what it is they want from him. Unai Emery will do that. He’s an absolutely amazing coach and he’s exactly what Marcus Rashford needs and what he’s got to do is buy into it.”
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