‘I just wonder’: Tim Howard worried about what Marcus Rashford might do at Aston Villa following Man Utd transfer

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Manchester United have bid farewell to Marcus Rashford. The forward has joined Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season.

Ruben Amorim publicly criticised Rashford, which saw his position at Old Trafford become untenable. As a result, Rashford joined Aston Villa after Unai Emery ‘personally requested’ talks.

And although the transfer is one that was needed, for all parties, Tim Howard has some concerns.

Tim Howard seen Marcus Rashford story before

Villa have agreed to pay at least 70 per cent of Rashford’s wages, which, according to Capology, are in excess of £300,000-a-week, and have the option to buy him at the end of the season for around £40 million.

Howard believes the finances involved make Emery’s gamble an even bigger one and is concerned Rashford’s arrival could unsettle the Villa squad.

“The numbers are staggering,” the former United goalkeeper told NBC Sports.

“I just wonder, because I have seen this tale before, if he goes to Villa and has a really, really good six months, he’s going to cost them a lot of money, and then the wages, do they restructure their wage cap to try and fit him in? — I just don’t know.”

Prior to Rashford’s arrival, number one and World Cup winner Emi Martinez was Villa’s best-paid player on £150,000-a-week. Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara are on the same amount.

So, agreeing to pay the United loanee a minimum of £210,000-a-week means he will become the Villains’ highest-paid player — by quite some distance too — and that, should he continue to underperform, will be a problem.

They can’t all be wrong

Going on to question Rashford’s attitude, Howard suspects Emery could experience the same issues many other managers have.

Erik ten Hag had problems with the 27-year-old, most notably his off-field behaviour, which included Rashford calling in sick for team training after partying in Belfast the night before.

Amorim has experienced similar. The United manager dropped Rashford shortly after he arrived and didn’t include him in a single matchday squad throughout January, and Howard thinks Emery could be next.

He added: “I am a little bit unsure of his attitude because I am in the camp of you can fall out with one manager but if a bunch of different managers are saying the same thing about your training habits [it’s a worry].

“That’s like part and parcel of playing football, you go out and you train, it doesn’t matter if you like the manager, or not, so I am just a little curious of his mindset.”

Even though he hasn’t featured in United’s plans, Rashford has continued to train, alone and with the youth teams.

Fit and available for selection, the 27-year-old could make his Aston Villa debut in their next match, which is an FA Cup Fourth Round tie at home to Spurs on Sunday, the 9th of February.