- Man United star Marcus Rashford is on the verge of joining Aston Villa on loan
- But Jamie Redknapp warned that move could prove detrimental for the Villans
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Ollie Watkins to Arsenal? It’s terrible planning from Arsenal… it’s all a bit late and panicked from the Gunners!
Jamie Redknapp has warned that bringing Marcus Rashford in on loan could prove to be a gamble for Aston Villa.
Rashford has found himself on the fringes at Manchester United in recent weeks, after falling out of favour shortly after Ruben Amorim’s arrival at the club.
The 27-year-old had been linked with various moves away from Old Trafford throughout last month but remains a United player with just days remaining in the transfer window.
However, Villa are closing in on bringing the forward in on loan with an option to buy included in the deal.
Unai Emery is an admirer of Rashford and is said to have contacted the player personally to discuss a potential move to the West Midlands.
Speaking on the transfer Redknapp insisted Rashford’s mentality will determine whether he is to be a success at Villa Park.
Jamie Redknapp has warned Marcus Rashford’s move to Aston Villa could be ‘detrimental’ for the club
The 27-year-old is closing in on a loan move to Villa Park for the remainder of the campaign
But Redknapp insisted that the move can only be a success if Rashford is prepared to work
‘When you look at it, we are going back to 2022-23, which was a fantastic season for him.’ Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
‘But when you look at the last two years, and two years is a long time in football, It wasn’t a case of him being injured. Some of the clips of him strolling around went viral, I remember there was one against Luton when the ball was there and he was just jogging.
‘You can’t do that when you’re a star player at Man United, you’ve got to be the man that’s going to lead from the front.
‘You can talk about potential all day long but he is not a kid anymore. If this move happens for him it will be an unbelievable one, perhaps more than what he deserves right now because Villa’s a massive club.
‘But it will be an opportunity to get his career going again, because that’s what he has got to do.
‘No one else can do it, it’s not up to Unai Emery, It’s not up to Aston Villa, it’s up to Marcus Rashford to go and put himself back out there as a player again.’
Fellow pundit Darren Bent agreed with Redknapp’s assessment and insisted that an additional headache could arise regarding how to fit Rashford into Villa’s current starting XI.
‘He is not a kid,’ Bent said. ‘If Emery says he wants to join Aston Villa that has to give you some confidence.
Rashford has fallen out of favour at United since Ruben Amorim was appointed the club’s head coach
Darren Bent added that finding the best way to effectively deploy the forward could cause headaches for Unai Emery
‘You have been identified as a solution. But where do you play him? His body language has told him he doesn’t want to play centre forward but if Watkins is out he is going to have to do that. He has to find that form within. We can’t make excuses anymore.’
The former Liverpool star added that the move could prove to be detrimental to Rashford’s career if he doesn’t gel in Emery’s system.
He continued: ‘Marcus Rashford is a massive risk. Take away his talent, if he comes in and doesn’t want to perform or doesn’t buy into the environment, it can be detrimental too.
‘He is too good a talent to waste. Shutting everyone up should be on his mind. If that’s not enough to go on, what is?’
Rashford said his goodbyes to team-mates at United on Saturday as he heads towards completing his move.
The 27-year old spoke to United staff and players at Carrington after being given the green light for his loan switch to Villa Park.
Personal terms have been agreed and the finer details of terms between clubs are being ironed out.