Aston Villa are set for talks with Marcus Rashford over a potential permanent move from Manchester United, TBR Football can reveal.
Since making the switch from Old Trafford in January, Rashford provided four assists in nine games for Villa, form that earned him a spot back in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
And whilst Ian Wright wasn’t impressed by Rashford for England, the forward’s inclusion demonstrates why he was keen to start a new challenge at the start of the year.
Of course, Rashford is still under contract at Man United until 2028, even if Villa had an agreement in place over a fee to potentially trigger a permanent move to Villa Park.
Marcus Rashford’s permanent future is still undecided
That being said, TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey understands that Villa and Rashford have not held talks over a permanent move just yet.
As things stand, both parties are ‘relatively’ happy with the situation and talks are due to take place – the same with Marco Asensio.
READ MORE: How much Aston Villa will actually have to pay to buy Marco Asensio from PSG
It’s understood that Rashford himself has really enjoyed the fresh start under a new regime, however, he has still only started one league game for Villa thus far.
TBR are told that as it stands, no decision has been made by Villa or United on Rashford’s permanent future.
However, Rashford’s dedication since making his loan switch has impressed other clubs, as well as United.
At this point a return to Old Trafford remains unlikely, but certainly not impossible.
On their part, Villa have a lot of thinking to do in terms of their attack and their future squad planning.
And as is the case for most interested clubs, Rashford’s wages could prove problematic for Emery’s side.
Thomas Tuchel was keen to defend Marcus Rashford
As mentioned, Rashford did go away with England over the break, playing just shy of 80 minutes in both games.
And on the back of Rashford’s efforts against Albania, he was criticised by some – perceived to be ineffective up against his opposition full-back.
However, when speaking to BBC Sport about Rashford and Phil Foden, Tuchel decided to defend the pair.
He said: “I have spoken to both of them and in front of the group. They know that I appreciate the effort, especially off the ball.
“We can see in the numbers how much effort they put into defending high and in the counter-press.
“Marcus had a lot of runs when we had the ball where we did not see him, where we did not use him. He was a little bit unlucky maybe with the timing and from time to time we oversaw him.
“Phil is just maybe not finding the momentum at the moment that he can have. But both of them are very positive, they have every right to be positive and know exactly what we want from them.
“But off the ball, the effort was there and that’s what counts.”
Of course, those comments are in line with how Rashford’s attitude has impressed at Villa so far, a 27-year-old who finds himself in a peculiar situation of having to prove himself all over again.
