Official: Marcus Rashford completes Aston Villa loan move after Manchester United exit
Marcus Rashford has officially joined Aston Villa on a loan till the end of the season.
'Marcus Rashford' x 'Aston Villa.'
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Ruben Amorim barred Rashford from playing for Manchester United and informed him that he would not be returning.
Villa have agreed to pay at least 75% of his £350,000-per-week salary, which may increase to 90% with performance-based bonuses.
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Unai Emery's team may make the loan permanent in the summer for £40 million.
Rashford drew attention from around Europe in the January window following his troubles in Manchester this season.
AC Milan, Barcelona, and Borussia Dortmund were rumored to be interested, but Rashford's salaries posed a significant stumbling block.
Rashford's last appearance for the Red Devils was on December 12 against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League.
Red Devils manager Amorim has ruled out the 60-cap England international after he admitted in December that he was 'ready for a fresh challenge.'
Amorim has been particularly critical of Rashford's perceived lack of commitment on the training field.
The United manager even claimed that he would rather have Jorge Vital, his 63-year-old goalie coach, on the bench than Rashford, who he said 'doesn't give his all every day'.
"Imagine a talent like Rashford, our team should be so much better with him - but he has to change," Amorim said.
"If he changes, we are more than happy to include him - and we need it. However, at this point, we must establish certain standards. We're waiting for Rashford, if he genuinely wants it.
"You [the media] want to make it personal. I have nothing against Marcus, but I have to make the same rules for everyone.
"We need goals, we need [players who can go] one against one, we need threat in the final third."
It is unclear when Rashford will make his Villans debut; but, because he was not in the squad for Man United's third-round FA Cup win over Arsenal, he might play in Villa's fourth-round match against Tottenham next Sunday.
Rashford has been affiliated with Manchester United for 20 years, having been scouted at the age of seven.
After graduating from the academy, he made his first-team debut in February 2016, scoring twice in a 5-1 win against FC Midtjylland.
His early performances for the Red Devils earned him an England call-up for Euro 2016, and despite the Three Lions' catastrophic campaign, Rashford was hailed for his reckless approach on the game.
Rashford has 138 goals in 426 matches for his childhood club and 60 England games.
