'Baller' - Ex-Wolves star weighs in on Marcus Rashford debate as Aston Villa loanee stars again

Marcus Rashford’s mid-season resurgence continued against Paris Saint-Germain as he helped his side come back from two goals down to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory at Villa Park.

It was almost enough to inspire one of the great Champions League comebacks as Unai Emery’s side slipped out of the competition in the quarter-final as heroes despite a 5-4 defeat on aggregate against the runaway French leaders.

Rashford got an assist on the night and was unfortunate not to score as he tormented the PSG back-line all evening with his pace,trickery and direct attacking intent before being replaced by striker Ollie Watkins in the 76th minute, in a move which surprised a few given the standard of his display on the night.

His performance garnered huge praise from the likes of ex-Villa duo Dion Dublin and Stephen Warnock during the contest, and now former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara has said his piece on the winger’s resurgence.

Manchester United blasted for Marcus Rashford treatment

TalkSport pundit Jamie O’Hara claims Marcus Rashford’s return to form is a damning indictment on Man Utd’s ability to manage the star correctly and claims Ruben Amorim made a huge error by letting him leave in January.

Former Wolves central midfielder O’Hara posted on X: “Rashford is a baller how have United messed him up do bad.”

Aston Villa have a £40m option to buy clause inserted into their loan agreement to sign Rashford and based on his recent numbers it appears increasingly likely a deal will be facilitated as part of a series of high profile additions in the pipeline at Villa Park this summer. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are also believed to be waiting in the wings with a possible offer if an agreement between the two clubs falls through.

Man United’s loss is Aston Villa’s gain

Ruben Amorim claimed that Marcus Rashford left Old Trafford because he couldn’t get the winger to see eye-to-eye with him. He regularly criticised the footballer for his work-rate in training and even said he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than someone not giving it the maximum in preparation for a game.

Rashford had been lacking in confidence and form this season and had experienced arguably his worst campaign to date during the 2023/24 season as he missed out on Gareth Southgate’s final Euro 2024 squad. However, since joining Aston Villa, Rashford has seen his new club and his former club move in very different directions.

The England international has registered three goals and six assists in 15 appearances since his January move, helping Villa climb back into European contention while winning 11 , drawing two and losing three games. He has an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley to look forward to and will hope to win the competition in back-to-back seasons as the Lions aim to end a trophy drought stretching all the way back to 1996.

Meanwhile, United have won just four across all competitions since Rashford’s exit while falling to 14th in the league table, marking their worst league campaign and points tally of the Premier League era.

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