Ex-Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho has sent his former teammate Marcus Rashford a brutally honest message after making his Aston Villa debut yesterday.

The 27-year-old came off the bench for the Villains in their 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, making his first appearance since leaving Old Trafford in the January transfer window. That display was his first competitive outing in 59 days since United's 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League back in early December, having been cast out by new boss Ruben Amorim.

The England international would go on record to express his desire for a new challenge, which cast his future at the club into further doubt. Rashford was included in just one matchday squad since then, in the Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle United, but he remained as an unused substitute.

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Amorim repeatedly stressed the need for Rashford to improve standards in training if he was to resurrect his United career, drawing some parallels with his situation at Old Trafford to former Reds winger Sancho.

The latter fell out of favour under former boss Erik ten Hag, having also been criticised for his attitude in training, before sealing a loan switch to Borussia Dortmund and then Chelsea this season. Sancho flourished back in Germany, helping Dortmund reach the Champions League Final, before a summer switch to Stamford Bridge, which has also been pretty fruitful so far this campaign.

Chelsea have the option to make the move a permanent one, similarly to Rashford and Villa. Rashford is still under contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2028, but Emery's side have the option to make his move to the Midlands a permanent one for a fee of £40 million, should he impress.

Rashford was given a warm welcome by the Villa faithful on Sunday night, his first outing for the club a week after signing on the dotted line. He entered the pitch in the 65th minute, replacing fellow new boy Donyell Malen, and touched the ball 22 times, with each touch met with excitement from the home crowd.

Rashford took to Instagram to thank his new fanbase for the support, sharing six photos with the caption: "Thank you for the warm welcome. Great team performance."

Sancho gave a brutal one-word response saying: "Freedom," along with the praying and the raised hand emoji. His comment appears to take aim at those doubting Rashford, hinting we could now see the best of the Reds academy graduate having sealed a move away from Old Trafford.

Rashford will be hoping his stint at Villa Park can follow in the footsteps of his former teammate, hoping to rediscover his best form under Unai Emery.