50% Passing, 6 Possessions lost – Marcus Rashford bubble bursts as Aston Villa suffer heavy defeat

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Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford struggled to make an impact as Aston Villa lost 4-1 to Crystal Palace.

Just 24 hours before Manchester United resume their Premier League campaign at home to Ipswich Town, Marcus Rashford was in action for Aston Villa at Selhurst Park.

Just as he did against Chelsea, Marcus Rashford started on the bench against Palace but came on in the second half with Villa trailing 2-1.

Three minutes after Rashford came on, Villa conceded a third to Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah then added a fourth for the hosts in injury time.

Rashford made a huge impact against Chelsea off the bench, setting up both goals as Villa completed a 2-1 comeback. However, he was unable to replicate those heroics this time around.

Marcus Rashford struggles for Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace

Rashford is loved by his Villa teammates after making a superb start in Birmingham following his January loan move.

Unai Emery has also praised Rashford, yet the United loanee is still yet to cement his spot as a regular starter.

This was Rashford’s fifth appearance for Villa and he is still yet to score. His performances have been fairly impactful though, until now.

Rashford had his worst performance in a Villa shirt on Tuesday evening, and here are some stats to prove it:

Rashford only completed three of his six attempted passes and failed to take a shot. He managed 11 touches but lost possession six times in what was a sloppy display.

£40m Marcus Rashford move remains up in the air

As part of the loan move, Villa have a £40m buy option for Rashford that they could choose to trigger in the summer transfer window.

Rashford sees the Villa move as ‘short term’ according to his first interview at his new club, but his future is still up in the air.

Rashford’s dream is to join Barcelona, but the Spanish giants couldn’t afford a deal in January. If their financial situation improves by the summer, a move to Camp Nou could be back on.

READ MORE: ‘Never in a million years…’ Marcus Rashford told Man Utd won’t allow him one thing even if he ‘kicks off massively’

A return to Old Trafford hasn’t been ruled out, but after Amorim’s criticism of Rashford in training, it seems unlikely that he will return and play under the Portuguese head coach.

It’s in United’s best interest for Rashford to play well out on loan, so hopefully the sloppy Palace display was a blip.