Unai Emery has one clear non-negotiable for Marcus Rashford after Aston Villa transfer
Unai Emery has a track record of revitalising forwards and his latest project could be the most rewarding yet.
Viewing Marcus Rashford as one of the most dangerous forwards in the Premier League when he's on song, Emery pushed to bring him to the club once Jhon Duran’s £65m move to Al-Nassr was finalised last week. A fresh start and a new environment provides Rashford with an opportunity to rediscover the form he showed when posting 17 goals in 2019/20 and 2022/23.
From the outside, it would appear that Rashford is his worst form for years, though only two Villa players have registered more league goal contributions than him (14) since the start of last season. He also scored a brace in his last start in the competition back in December.
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It could be a blessing in disguise that he was pushed out of his boyhood club by Ruben Amorim. The 27-year-old now embarks on a new chapter in his career and there’s no better manager for him than Emery to allow him to enjoy his football again.
Nothing will be handed to Rashford during his initial loan spell at Villa; he will have to earn the right to play and stay in the team. Emery has plenty of options in the forward areas and demands commitment as a minimum requirement in training and analysis sessions as preparation for matches has been crucial to the club’s success in the past two and a bit years.
With full focus on his football and making full use of the months left of the campaign, Rashford could play a decisive role in Villa’s season. Currently behind in the race for Champions League football, but deep in this campaign’s competition having qualified for the round of 16, Rashford knows he can do something special with Villa this term.
“I can hurt teams when I am playing at my best and I can decide football games,” he told Villa TV. “That’s my only ambition and goal, to help the team win games and win points. Hopefully create history.”
Villa have a buy option of £40m in the summer and if Rashford does playing a telling part in the rest of the campaign and shows the talent he often displayed for United in previous years, then that could be a brilliant piece of business.
If the move doesn’t go to plan, then Villa aren’t obliged to pay the money to sign him permanently. Either way, it’s certainly a risk worth taking for a possible big reward at the end of it.
Another carrot for Rashford during his loan spell will be to force his way back into the England team. New Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel will be delighted to have seen him leave Old Trafford and link up with Emery.
His last call-up came back in March 2024, nearly a year ago, before he was overlooked for a place in the Euro 2024 squad given the level of competition for places in the squad.
The success of this move depends fully on Rashford. He is entering an environment which upholds excellent standards - as set by Emery and his coaching team - and a dressing room littered with talented players, sharing the common goal of "breaking barriers".
“I don't want to waste my time here and that's the message for everyone,” Emery said earlier this season. “We have shown our ability to adapt quickly to European competition, both this season and last year in the Europa Conference League.
"We want to keep the level we have now, doing well in the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League, and add something more like being a contender for a trophy. Is the sky the limit? This is the message. We love football, we love our work and we want to be successful. One of our objectives is playing in the Champions League.
“I want to keep playing in this competition for a long time, and it is difficult. Sometimes we can have some problems, but we need a strong mentality to break barriers.”
