Aston Villa will be without Marcus Rashford for their final two games of the season as they bid to earn another season of Champions League football.
The Manchester United forward made the loan move to Villa Park in the January transfer window after an unhappy time of it at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.
Rashford has looked like a completely different player for Unai Emery’s side, contributing four goals and six assists in his 17 appearances for Villa in all competitions.
Hamstring injury ends Marcus Rashford’s season early as Aston Villa face transfer decision
Rashford will play no further part for Villa this season, however, with Emery confirming that the 27 year old’s hamstring injury rules him out of Friday’s visit from Tottenham Hotspur.
That comes as a blow to Villa with Youri Tielemans also sidelined and Jacob Ramsey suspended.
Just to compound matters, Rashford will be unable to face Manchester United on the final day of the season even if fit, as Premier League rules prohibit loan players from facing their parent clubs.
That could mean that Rashford has already played his last game for Villa amid uncertainty over his future.
Villa reportedly have a £40m option to buy Rashford this summer, but the Mirror report they do not have first option on his signature.
With the player reportedly keen to play Champions League football next season, that could be bad news for Villa – especially if they miss out on the top five – as it would mean United would be entitled to accept rival bids even in the event Villa were to move to keep Rashford.
After reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the Villans need to finish in the Premier League top five to earn a return trip to European football’s most prestigious competition next season.
Villa are currently in 6th place, level on points with Chelsea but with a far inferior goal difference.
Manchester City, Newcastle United and even Arsenal are all theoretically catchable, and sneaking ahead of any of those four sides – and staying above 7th-placed Nottingham Forest – would see Villa over the dotted line and into the top five.
