Marcus Rashford, the exiled prince of Manchester United, has come to the place where footballers mix with true royalty.
As he tries to put his career back on track, Rashford needs a period free from distraction and he could scarcely have found a better location.
Situated in the north Warwickshire countryside, Aston Villa’s training base near the village of Bodymoor Heath is so remote that even the future King can visit without anybody noticing.
The Prince of Wales is a huge Villa fan and has watched Unai Emery lead first-team sessions in recent times, as well as attending many of Villa’s European fixtures in the last two seasons. He will see Rashford in action on the grandest stages once more.
Ruben Amorim has refused to pick Rashford and the United boss’ predecessor Erik ten Hag remarked on the forward’s ‘lifestyle’ and ‘professionalism’ last September.
There was the incident in November 2023, when Ten Hag said Rashford had apologised after he was seen in a nightclub following a defeat in the Manchester derby.
Marcus Rashford has joined Aston Villa on an initial loan with an option to buy for £40million
Villa could end up paying 90 per cent of Rashford’s £315,000-a-week wages during his spell
Rashford fell out of favour with United boss Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford in December
And in February 2024, he was left out of the squad for an FA Cup tie against Newport when he missed training after staying out until the early hours in a Belfast bar. But Rashford is hardly the only player whose career has stalled at United in recent times.
Much was made on social media of the 27-year-old’s appearance in photographs when he signed for Villa, but it can be revealed that when Rashford’s body fat was measured, his results were the fourth-best in the Villa squad. He is said to have trained very well this week.
Emery demands total dedication from his players and will have been interested to note Rashford’s use of cryotherapy to aid recovery, with his own chamber at home.
Emery believes he can be one of the most effective attackers in the world and to revive his career, Rashford would be wise to follow the example of Jack Grealish.
The Manchester City attacker has had his share of off-field scrapes but during his time at Villa, Grealish made himself into a £100million player. The football world knew of Grealish’s talent, though not many witnessed the hard work that helped him fulfil it.
The security staff at Bodymoor certainly did. More than once, when they moved around the training ground towards evening to shut it down for the day, they would find the lights still on in the first-team gym still as Grealish worked away, long after his team-mates had departed. Without that commitment, it is doubtful he would ever have joined City, let alone win seven trophies there.
It is up to Rashford now. He has the perfect setting, a supportive fanbase and, in Emery, a striker whisperer for a manager. The Villa boss has worked successfully with numerous forwards and is confident he can do the same with Rashford.
Emery has made it clear what he expects from his players. ‘Your lifestyle outside the club is reflected inside,’ he has said. ‘The mentality is to think football and show high commitment to your club and your team-mates.’
Compare that with Amorim’s parting shot on Thursday. ‘I couldn’t get Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,’ said the United boss.
If Rashford can adapt to Emery’s demands and concentrate solely on his job, he and Villa can have a memorable end to the season. He might even outlast Amorim at Old Trafford, should United continue to struggle. It promises to be an eventful few weeks.
Amorim’s parting shot to Rashford was that he could not get his message across to him
Rashford was a fan favourite at Old Trafford but the goals have dried up in the last two years
He joined United at the age of eight and netted 138 goals in 426 senior appearances
It was a phone call from Emery in the final days of January that convinced Rashford to move to Villa Park. Just as importantly, Emery heard the answers from Rashford that he wanted.
During that discussion, Rashford is said to have been humble and focused, and explained that his only wish now is to have a fresh start, away from United, and to play regularly.
Emery is among the most demanding coaches in the Premier League and explained to Rashford that he would not be here for an easy ride. Again, Rashford is said to have impressed with his response. Villa are convinced he has the ambition and drive to reach the top.
Rashford arrived at Bodymoor Heath last Sunday to complete the formalities of his move, a loan deal until the end of the season that could mean Villa paying up to 90 per cent of his £315,000-a-week wages. He held talks with Villa’s team of nutritionists and completed a short session in the gym.
It heartened Villa staff to see Rashford choose the No 9 shirt left by Jhon Duran, who moved to Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr at the end of the window.
The jersey carries weight: Peter Withe wore it when he scored the club’s most famous goal – the winner in the 1982 European Cup Final – and Andy Gray, Dean Saunders and Juan Pablo Angel have also had it. Villa like their attacking players to wear ‘traditional’ numbers and were pleased to see Rashford accept the responsibility.
After an exhausting recent schedule, Emery gave the first team Monday and Tuesday off, though still Rashford opted to travel to Bodymoor on Monday to train on his own.
Rashford has already hugely impressed Villa staff in the brief time he has been at the club
Villa’s players were given two days off this week but Rashford came in for his own sessions
Rashford has taken the No 9 shirt at Villa Park and will join a dynamic group of forwards
He did some sprinting work with and without the ball and underwent another gym session with a fitness coach. For a player whose judgment has been questionable in recent times, this was a shrewd move.
Villa also expect Rashford to be based mainly in the West Midlands, rather than commuting daily from Manchester. Both the England forward and fellow loanee Marco Asensio, who has joined from Paris Saint-Germain, have been viewing apartments in the region.
If Rashford really does spend most of the next four months away from Manchester, it feels like another sensible step. Rush hour on the M6 is no fun and with Villa players expected to report to the training ground by 9.30am, a daily 150-mile round trip would be far from ideal.
Duran, who scored twice on his Saudi Pro League debut on Friday, could be a complicated character. So far, Rashford has been anything but, with club staff describing a quiet, friendly young man. The presence of former England colleagues Ollie Watkins, Tyrone Mings and Ross Barkley should also help Rashford settle.
Players have breakfast together and training begins from mid-morning. Rashford worked alongside his new colleagues in the second half of this week with Emery leading the sessions in his inimitable style – stopping drills and physically moving players to the exact spot that he wants them. The afternoon video meetings are just as exacting.
Villa boss Unai Emery has a history of getting the most out of strikers, such as Ollie Watkins
Royal advice will not be far away – Villa fan Prince William is a regular visitor to their HQ
In his office at Bodymoor and using his trusty laptop, Emery has already talked Rashford through how he sees it.
Emery believes his best position is operating off the left wing, though he may also be used through the middle – especially as Watkins will miss Sunday’s clash with Tottenham due to injury.
If he plays as a No9, Rashford will be asked to operate across the width of the penalty area, rather than running into the channels.
Emery has explained that a Villa centre-forward has two main jobs. When they build play as a back four, he must drop alongside the No 10 – usually Morgan Rogers – allowing the wingers to stay tight to the touchlines.
When they build as a back three, the centre forward moves into an orthodox No 9 position, with one of wingers moving inside to occupy the space he has vacated.
He is expected to link the play with his fellow attackers and be the first to enter the penalty area as Villa close in on goal, staying within the width of the six-yard box.
As a winger, Rashford would be asked largely to stay wide, take on the full-back when he receives the ball and work himself into shooting positions on his right foot.
So Rashford knows the plan and he will know it has worked before. Emery does hours of individual work with forwards, focusing heavily on positioning and improving their tactical understanding.
He has worked with some of the world’s finest attackers, from Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to Edinson Cavani, David Villa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
More significantly, he has coaxed career-best displays from players without the natural talent of those superstars. Many fans in England will not be familiar with Jonas Goncalves, Artiz Aduriz, Kevin Gameiro, Carlos Bacca or Gerard Moreno but they delivered for Emery – just as Watkins has at Villa, with 52 goals and 26 assists in 112 games under Emery.
Emery has worked with some of the world’s best strikers, such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Neymar was another world-class Emery student at Paris Saint-Germain from 2017 to 2018
Edinson Cavani was a further PSG superstar who played under ‘striker whisperer’ Emery
Whatever they might say publicly, Villa know this moves comes with risk on both sides. An unguarded remark from Rashford in his opening interview with the club channels – ‘Obviously it’s only short-term I’m here’ – may have revealed the rationale behind this move.
Villa acknowledge that if Rashford and Asensio were at the top of their game, they would probably have been out of their reach. The departure of the 21-year-old Duran means Villa need to find a new, young No 9 and they did not believe they could find one in the January market.
The club also know that if the pair help them qualify for next season’s Champions League, or even go all the way in this season’s, they will put Villa in a far stronger financial position while also restoring their own reputations. We’ll scratch your backs, you scratch ours. There are incentives on both sides.
Rashford trained with United throughout January but spent most of it looking for an exit. His camp were holding out for a loan move to Barcelona and still believe that may be an option next summer, though the Spanish giants have financial constraints and with a front three of Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, it is not easy to see where Rashford would fit in.
There are other scenarios. Though there is a buy option of about £40million on the loan deal, it seems possible that relevant parties could even agree for Rashford to spend next season on loan at Villa.
And if he shines as United plummet, Rashford may even return to Old Trafford to be greeted by a new man in the dugout. If he struggles, however, Villa will look elsewhere and Rashford will be back where he started, the route ahead unclear.
Worried about his lack of squad depth, Emery has gone for volume in attack to cope with the twin demands of domestic and European football.
Rashford will compete with Rogers, Watkins, Asensio, Donyell Malen, Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey for three or four spots. None of them, except maybe for Rogers, can expect to be an automatic pick. Emery admitted on Friday that Rashford’s arrival has already squeezed fellow January signing Malen out of Villa’s Champions League knockout rounds squad.
Rashford will be battling with the likes of Morgan Rogers and Watkins for a place in Villa’s XI
Marco Asensio has also joined on loan as Villa target a return to the Champions League
Everything is set up for Rashford to succeed at Villa – now it is on him to prove he can deliver
Rashford earned his huge contract thanks to a 30-goal season in 2022-23, but he has found it hard to justify it since. All the while, the 27-year-old’s demeanour has done little to erase the impression that he would rather be anywhere else than United.
Now he has his wish. Not long after he had been axed by Amorim for the Manchester derby in December, Rashford said he was ready for ‘a new challenge’.
Villa will certainly provide that. In February 2016, 18-year-old Rashford announced his talent to the world with four goals in his first two United appearances, against Midtjylland and Arsenal. He scored on his England debut four months later.
Nearly a decade later, Villa need a similar impact from the off. It now falls to Rashford to prove he can deliver.
