By David Ornstein
Marcus Rashford is expected to miss the remainder of Aston Villa’s season with a hamstring injury.
Further tests will be done to establish the severity of Rashford’s injury but it is not anticipated that he will need surgery.
Villa have only four Premier League games to go in their season and the last of those is against Rashford’s parent club Manchester United on May 25, where he is ineligible to feature, meaning it is highly likely his club campaign is over. It is not completely out of the question that he is fit in time for Villa’s home game against Tottenham Hotspur on May 18, though that is complicated by the discussions over moving that fixture.
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Rashford is now focussing on getting fit in time for England’s fixtures in June and then pre-season. The 27-year-old will do his rehabilitation at Villa but his long-term future remains open — Villa’s loan deal for Rashford includes a £40million ($49.5m) option to buy.
Asked at a news conference on Friday about Rashford’s future, United head coach Ruben Amorim said: “All the players that are on loan, they will return and then the club will decide what to do at the end of the season.
“Yeah, of course (I am pleased about their form). The talent of Rashford, the talent of Antony, all these players, they have to put that on the team. So we are really happy because if you put a player on loan, the best thing for us is for them to perform and they are performing.”
Rashford was a surprise absentee from the Villa squad which lost 3-0 against Crystal Palace in Saturday’s FA Cup final semi-final, with manager Unai Emery estimating he will be out for “some weeks”.
Rashford has made 10 starts and seven substitute appearances since joining Villa in January, registering four goals and six assists.
The forward returned to the England squad in March after a year out of the team and started both of their World Cup qualifying wins over Albania and Latvia. Thomas Tuchel’s side face Andorra in another qualifier on June 7 and then host Senegal in a friendly three days later.
Villa, meanwhile, are seventh in the Premier League, three points behind fifth-placed Chelsea. They face Fulham and Bournemouth before the games against Spurs and United.
‘Injury makes Villa’s decision more complex’
Analysis by Aston Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell
Rashford’s injury comes at a frustrating time for both him and Aston Villa.He had established himself as Unai Emery’s preferred No 9, with Villa’s manager moving away from aninitial plan of playing Rashford on the left wing and instead as a centre forward, ahead of Ollie Watkins.
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Rashford has shown flashes of his former self, especially in a 15 minute period in Villa’s second leg Champions League quarter final against Paris Saint-Germain and while he struggled to put together a complete, all-round display, there were signs he was gradually improving.
Consequently, the injury halts momentum and means Watkins — who admitted he was “fuming” with his recent bench role — will return to being Emery’s first choice striker.
This makes the decision as to whether Villa wish to trigger the buy option more complex, given the 27-year-old’s rejuvenation remains a work in progress and now complicated by injury.
What could this mean for United?
Analysis by Manchester United correspondent Mark Critchley
Raising funds through sales is likely to be a key part of United’s summer strategy and Rashford remains a prime candidate to depart, given his exile under Ruben Amorim and his status as one of the club’s highest earners.
Missing the season’s climax through injury is hardly ideal, taking him out of the shop window just as the market begins to ramp up, and so United must hope that any prospective buyers have already seen enough from his mini-revival at Villa Park.
Rashford is due for talks over his future with United this summer, as Amorim said last week. An exit is surely the best outcome for all parties, but it remains to be seen whether he will attract suitable interest.
(Photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
David Ornstein joined The Athletic in October 2019 after 12 years as a sports journalist and correspondent at the BBC. In the role of Football Correspondent, he is responsible for producing exclusive and original stories and interviews, offering unique insight and analysis. He works across video, audio and the written word. Follow David on Twitter @David_Ornstein
