- Rashford left Man United for the first time to join Villa on loan until end of season
- He was exiled from Red Devils by Amorim, who slammed his training standards
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! We need Arsenal’s personality! This needle is what the Premier League is all about!
Alan Shearer has warned Marcus Rashford that his move to Aston Villa is ‘last chance saloon’ for the forward.
Rashford, 27, joined Villa on Sunday in a loan move running until the end of the season, with the Premier League outfit having an option to buy the forward from Manchester United for £40million in the summer.
It is understood that Villa will cover 70 per cent of his wages, while the loan package will include bonuses for progressing in Europe and for qualifying for the Champions League again next season.
Rashford has not played for United since mid-December when he fell out with head coach Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese United boss insisted recently that he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than Rashford.
Now, however, the former England forward has a fresh start under Unai Emery at Villa, but it hasn’t come without warning from the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer.
Speaking to Betfair, Shearer highlighted how he feels Rashford’s talent has been wasted, but that he will have to be at the top of his game to make it at the club.
Marcus Rashford has been warned that his move to Aston Villa is ‘last chance saloon’
Rashford made the move after being exiled by Ruben Amorim, who criticised his training standards at the club
Shearer said that recent times have been a ‘waste’ for Rashford, urging the forward to ‘get back to what he was’
‘Marcus Rashford leaving Man United was the best option for all parties,’ he said. ‘I know it’s only a loan but he’s now got a chance to start his career again because he’s been miles off it, and has had a few managers criticise him, they’ve said he’s had the wrong attitude, so he’s now got a chance to start again.
‘He has to start again because there’s no doubt a talent is there but it’s a talent that has been wasted for the last few years and a football career is short, so to waste a few years is terrible really. Now he’s got his fresh start, we’ve got to see the energy, the love and all those things that we saw when he hit 30 goals.
‘I’m not sure if it can be classed as an achievement but the main thing is Rashford has got to get back to what he was. He has to get back to showing everyone that he loves the game of football and he wants to be part of a successful Aston Villa team.
‘Unai Emery won’t take any passengers so it’s the last chance saloon for Rashford to prove to himself that he still loves and wants to be in the game of football.’
Villa also added Marco Asnesio to their team on deadline day, while retaining Ollie Watkins after a bid from Arsenal and Donyell Malen joining from Borussia Dortmund earlier in the window.
It remains to be seen how Rashford will be used at Villa, though Shearer has given his own theory.
‘This was a young guy who could sit down with Prime Ministers, but it’s all gone wrong,’ he said. ‘He’s had more than one manager question his attitude and this one has basically had enough of him and wanted him out because he didn’t feel that Marcus was right for his team – and you’ve got the right to do that as a manager.
‘It’s all down to him. He doesn’t want to play down the middle, I think he’s said that himself. He feels as if he’s better on the left-hand side which is where I suspect he’ll play. We don’t know how long Ollie Watkins is out for but they’ve also now signed Marco Asensio so they have a couple of options in forward areas now.’
Rashford made more than 400 appearances for United having joined them as a youngster
He will join up with fellow English forward Ollie Watkins at Villa Park, and will likely play out wide in Unai Emery’s team
Rashford had been at United since he was eight years old and has never played senior club football for another team.
Rashford – who has 138 United goals to his name after making 426 senior appearances for the Old Trafford outfit – said goodbye to his team-mates on Saturday.
Having entered the set-up aged seven, Rashford stepped into the first-team in 2016.
During his time at the club, Rashford has helped them seal two FA Cups, two League Cups and one Europa League title.
