Marcus Rashford has been a man reborn since leaving Manchester United on loan in the January transfer window, with Ben Foster certain he will move on permanently this summer
Aston Villa have been offered hope regarding their chances of signing Marcus Rashford permanently. The forward has found a new lease of life at Villa following his move from Manchester United, having been left out in the cold by Ruben Amorim.
Since making the switch to Villa on loan during the January transfer window, the 27-year-old striker has hit the ground running, netting three times and assisting another four goals, as well as winning back a spot in the England team.
Rashford's excellent performances have provided a huge boost for Unai Emery's side as they aim to qualify for the Champions League for the second successive season.
An ex-United star has now expressed his belief that this spells "bad news" for Rashford's hometown club, with a permanent exit said to be looking likely. Goalkeeper Ben Foster, who also played for Birmingham and West Brom, claimed that a return to United is a non-starter for Rashford and hinted that he might look for a way out.
Villa reportedly hold a £40million option in their loan agreement that allows that allows them to secure Rashford on a permanent basis if they wish when the summer arrives. While his decision is currently up in the air, Foster is certain United have seen the last of him, citing his visibly better morale at Villa Park.
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, the former Wrexham keeper said: "Marcus Rashford looks happy playing. He looks strong, he looks quick and he's scoring goals. He's got a lovely little partnership with some of those players at Villa like Asensio.
"It's nice to see but it's all bad news for Man United because all of their ex-players are just going out and having a nice time and enjoying their football. They've got a smile on their face, but they're not good enough for that Man United team, apparently.
"He is 100 per cent playing for his move and I don't see a way back. I wouldn't necessarily say it's from Man United's side - I think Rashford is done with them now. Sometimes it just comes to an end."
Foster added: "I think he would feel like the way he's been treated isn't good enough. Whether it's deserved or not [the criticism], I think you see that he's at a club now where they're enjoying him and he's enjoying them."
The trend of former United players thriving elsewhere has sparked debate, with several examples including Anthony Elanga's crucial goal against his former team for Nottingham Forest, Scott McTominay's impressive performances for Napoli, and Antony's resurgence at Real Betis.
The reason behind this phenomenon has triggered a discussion, with United head coach Amorim attributing it to the immense pressure of wearing the red shirt.
However, Gary Lineker offered a different perspective on the Rest is Football podcast, suggesting that the chaos off the pitch at United could be the actual cause. He said: "I saw him [Amorim] interviewed, and we know he's quite open when he does his interviews and answers every question, but they were saying why are Manchester United players doing well elsewhere.
He was saying 'it's the pressure of playing at a club like Manchester United'. I'm not buying that, I'm sorry. If you're playing at any big football club, you need to be able to handle pressure to be there in the first place.
"People like Rashford, they've done it really well at certain times to prove that it's not that. I just think it's that seeping down from the top. The club gets in a bit of a mess and it's all over the shop."
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