Marcus Rashford ‘extremely unlikely’ to ever play for Man Utd again

Marcus Rashford has reportedly ruled out the possibility of playing for Manchester United ever again after joining Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season.

The United academy graduate spent the past seven weeks in exile, denied a single minute by Ruben Amorim who only named him in one matchday squad from mid-December onwards. Villa belatedly offered Rashford an escape route from Old Trafford, bringing him in on loan for the remainder of the season.

Amorim was relentlessly asked about Rashford, who was dropped ahead of December's Manchester derby due to his behaviour in training and off-field activity. The Portuguese boss grew increasingly frustrated with this line of questioning and infamously insisted that he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital than "a player that don't give the maximum every day".

This stance is said to be independent of Amorim, as the upper hierarchy of United sanctioned the move to put Rashford up for sale.

The Red Devils have hardly thrived in the absence of their academy star. United's dismal 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday was the club's fifth loss in seven home games under Amorim.

If the Portuguese head coach - who has broken all the wrong records - does leave before the end of the campaign, Rashford has been tipped to follow Jadon Sancho's approach of returning to United in pre-season before securing a move away.

Rashford intriguingly described his spell at Villa as "only short‑term", even though the club retain an option to buy the 27-year-old for £40m. "I had to choose somewhere where my style of football is suited and can help them and help me rediscover and improve as a player," he added. "I want to make the most of my time here."

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