Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford could see his £1.5m per year Nike sponsorship deal slashed after the forward agreed to join Aston Villa on loan.

Rashford was left as an outcast in the United squad after Ruben Amorim dropped the winger for the Manchester derby. A few days later, the England international declared his desire to take on a new challenge and from then onwards, he did not feature another minute for the Reds.

MEN Sport understands Barcelona was his ideal destination in the January transfer window but the finances of the move did not work with the Catalan club preferring to move for the winger permanently in the summer. With options running out for Rashford this winter, an agreement to join Villa on loan with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season was agreed.

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While it is largely agreed that the move for Rashford is a good one, allowing him time to play and Villa covering 75 per cent of wages in the process, it could spell bad news for his lucrative Nike sponsorship. According to the Daily Mail, Rashford can earn as much as £1.5m per year, including bonuses, for playing at a Category A team like United.

However, because Villa is not in that category, Nike are entitled to reduce his sponsorship by at least 50 per cent should they wish. It is believed that the American sportswear brand has the power to not only reduce his wage but also request some of his signing-on fee back that was paid when he signed his sponsorship deal four years ago.

The basic wage for a Nike sponsorship can be as low as £50,000 but there is no suggestion that Rashford's package could reduce that significantly. Rashford could make his debut for Villa on Sunday when they host Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup fourth round.