- Rashford may have played his last game for Villa after injuring his hamstring
- The 27-year-old has scored four goals since joining Unai Emery’s side in January
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Marcus Rashford may have played his last game for Aston Villa due to the hamstring injury that is likely to keep him out of the club’s remaining games of the season.
The Manchester United star is already ineligible for Villa’s final game at Old Trafford on May 25 under the terms of his loan.
Rashford is also expected to miss the other three fixtures against Fulham, Bournemouth and Tottenham after he was ruled out of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace with the hamstring strain.
It is not believed to be too serious and Villa boss Unai Emery indicated that Rashford would be out of action for ‘probably some weeks’.
The 27-year-old is set to have a scan and it’s understood the medical teams at United and Villa are liaising over his treatment and recuperation.
Rashford’s form has improved since he joined Villa on loan in January after being frozen out by United head coach Ruben Amorim over his attitude in training.
Marcus Rashford is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury
The forward picked up the injury during the first half of Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City
Villa’s loan deal for Rashford includes a £40million option to buy but his future is uncertain
He has contributed four goals and six assists in 17 appearances, earning an England recall under new manager Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup qualifiers against Latvia and Albania last month.
Villa must decide whether to trigger the £40million option to turn Rashford’s loan into a permanent move, but his £315,000-a-week wages are a major obstacle.
Rashford is understood to want to play for a Champions League club – Villa are currently seventh in the Premier League – and is reluctant to move to London.
He is now expected to focus on getting fit for England’s next games against Andorra and Senegal in June with his club future up in the air.
As it stands, he is due to return to United for pre-season training in early July, but it seems unlikely that he will play for his hometown club again while Amorim remains in charge.
The United boss was asked about Rashford last week and said that a decision on the Wythenshawe-born forward and the other two players out on loan, Antony and Tyrell Malacia, will be made at the end of the season.
‘The talent of Rashford, the talent of Antony, all these players, they have to put that on the team,’ added Amorim.
‘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.’
Emery had hinted that Rashford edged ahead of Ollie Watkins in the Aston Villa pecking order
Marcus Rashford returned to Thomas Tuchel’s squad in March after more than a year out
Rashford, who came through Manchester United’s academy, is under contract at Old Trafford until 2028.
However, he is unlikely to return while Amorim remains in charge.
Rashford will also have a say over his next move, and it’s understood that his representatives will not sit down for talks until mid-June at the earliest.
Villa’s hopes of qualification suffered a setback when they lost 2-1 to a 94th-minute winner at Manchester City on last Tuesday after Rashford had equalised from the penalty spot.
His camp have also ruled out a player exchange with the likes of Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Eberechi Eze, of Crystal Palace, due to the complexities of a swap deal.
Marcus Rashford is unlikely to return to Manchester United with Ruben Amorim in charge
Meanwhile, last week Unai Emery had hinted that Rashford edged ahead of Ollie Watkins in the Aston Villa pecking order as he can play in more than one position.
The on-loan Manchester United star was signed mainly to play as a wide attacker but in recent matches had been preferred to Watkins in the No 9 role – much to the frustration of Villa’s top scorer.
‘You always need two strikers and being versatile is better,’ said the Villa boss. ‘Rashford is versatile.
‘I want to have players like these two as we try to get to the level we want.’
