Manchester United supporters were emotional after reading a school note from Marcus Rashford ahead of his imminent loan move to Aston Villa.
Rashford, 27, will undergo his medical on Sunday as he closes in on a departure from his boyhood club and will join initially until the end of the season. There will also be an option for Villa to make the deal permanent for a fee of £40million.
He has already agreed personal terms and Villa will pay 70 per cent of his wages, which stand at around £350,000 per week, while further bonuses are included.
The forward has not played for United since mid-December after falling out with head coach Ruben Amorim, and has missed out on the last 12 matches in all competitions.
He had declared he was ready for a ‘new challenge’ in a bombshell interview late last year, but the manner of his switch away has left United supporters crestfallen.
After a note previously posted by Rashford on social media in November 2019 began to circulate again, many social media users shared their mixed feelings.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is set to join Aston Villa on loan
Rashford has missed the last 12 matches after falling out with United boss Ruben Amorim
A school note he wrote has circulated on social media ahead of his emotional departure
The touching note, titled ‘Future And Aims’, read: ‘I hope that my future is very bright in and out of school, especially in my career as a footballer. I want to have a different lifestyle and make my family and others proud of me.’
The second sentence was written all in capitals. ‘I only have one aim in life and that is to be a professional footballer, and hopefully at Manchester United,’ it said.
‘He lived his dream and we all loved it,’ said one X user, alongside a red heart emoji. ‘Now onto bigger and better things later this year.’
Another wrote: ‘In another world, we won the Prem together Rashy.’
A third added: ‘Amorim what have you done. You will never see light at OT.’
Others, however, have pinned the blame solely on Rashford.
‘Well he was great while he was trying to do that [achieve his dream], ever since he chose lifestyle over football it went downhill,’ one user said.
Another agreed, posting: ‘He achieved it, was granted a contract for beyond what he deserved, becomes complacent and screws it up… spare us the pity act.’
He has already bid farewell to his team-mates and supporters have shared mixed feelings
United supporters have also shared an image appearing to show a young Rashford waiting to be picked up for training with the club.
The screenshot from Google Maps seemingly shows him in Wythenshawe.
Rashford himself had shared the photo, which shows a child stood by the side of the road while dressed in United training gear.
‘Button lane pick up point,’ he wrote back in September in an Instagram post, appearing to confirm the image was indeed of him.
The street view image had reportedly been taken in 2009, while Rashford had been playing in United’s academy, after joining four years prior.
Having entered the set-up aged seven, Rashford stepped into the first-team in 2016.
Amorim has publicly questioned Rashford’s lifestyle and commitment and warned him he must change if he were to have any hope of breaking back into his plans.
Rashford, a 60-time England international, has been at United since he was eight years old and has never played senior club football for another team.
A Google Maps image, reportedly of Rashford as an academy player, recently resurfaced
Rashford appeared to confirm the boy was him, saying it was the ‘Button lane pick up’
He said goodbye to his team-mates on Saturday ahead of his medical, having stopped off at Carrington. Rashford also spoke to United staff members.
The academy graduate scored 138 goals after making 426 senior appearances.
Villa moved for him after Jhon Duran departed for Al Nassr in a deal that could reach £70m, leaving Ollie Watkins as their only experienced centre forward.
Unai Emery said Watkins would not leave this month after a bid from Arsenal was rejected.
