Can Unai Emery revive Marcus Rashford's form?

Karan Ahgun

— 3 min read
Can Unai Emery revive Marcus Rashford's form?

In a surprising move, Marcus Rashford moved to Aston Villa on loan in the final days of the January transfer window. Rashford has not played a game of football since the 12th December, so it may take a couple of matches for him to get up to speed but Unai Emery's desire to work with the player should give him some confidence to start performing again. So will this move turn out to be the right one for Rashford?

Since being dropped from Manchester United's match day squads, Rashford's immediate future was the main subject of questioning for Rúben Amorim. Amorim made it clear on many occasions that he felt that Rashford's application in training did not meet the required standards. Rashford's form since the start of last season has been particularly poor, which might have compounded Amorim's openness to allowing the England international to find a new challenge. AC Milan and Barcelona were heavily linked with a loan move for Rashford throughout the January window but were unable to solidify their interest due to their financial limitations. So in the end, Aston Villa provided Rashford with the only viable escape route for the rest of this season. The fact that Villa sold Jhon Duran for around €75 million allowed the club to pursue this deal which sees them cover the majority of Rashford's £300,000 per week salary and includes an option to buy for £40 million.

On the face of it, the move to Aston Villa looks like it could be perfect to revive Rashford's career. The team is stacked with talent and there are a couple of positions in which Rashford could easily slot in to. Working with Unai Emery will also appeal to Rashford as the Spaniard has a knack for bringing out the best performances of under-performing talents. Villa are at their most dangerous when they use their threat on the transition. They are able to break through the lines with speed and their players' physical profiles are complimentary to devastating counter-attacks. The key to unlocking Rashford's potential for Emery will be to give the player more confidence and get him to a place where he plays with freedom and bravery.

This move to Aston Villa has all the potential to help Marcus Rashford rediscover his form on a more consistent basis, and may even help to earn him a move to Barcelona in the summer if that is what he wants. Rashford will need to get his head down in training and prove to people that he is not as bad a trainer as he has been made out to be in recent weeks. Emery will also be hoping that an in-form Rashford will give him team a push towards securing Champions League football for next season, as well as having a good run in both the Champions League and FA Cup.

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