Marcus Rashford is trying to resurrect his career at Aston Villa.
The January transfer window shut without Manchester United adding any forward players to Ruben Amorim’s squad.
United made three defensive signings that include Patrick Dorgu from Leece, Ayden Heaven from Arsenal and Diego Leon who will arrive from Cerro Porteno this summer.
However, with United unable to sign a forward to bolster the squad, Ineos still sanctioned outgoings with Antony and Marcus Rashford leaving on loan until the end of the season.
Antony is impressing at Real Betis and Marcus Rashford is showing glimpses of better form at Aston Villa.
Marcus Rashford back playing in the Champions League
Tuesday night saw Rashford resume his Champions League journey as Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Rashford was unable to impact the game by finding the back of the net, but he took to social media afterwards to express his joy at playing in the Champions League again.
| Minutes played | 64′ |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Total shots | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 23 |
| Chances created | 0 |
| Touches | 36 |
| Touches in the opposition box | 2 |
It was the 27-year-old’s 34th appearance in the Champions League and his first since United’s 4-3 defeat against Copenhagen on 29 November, 2023.
Rashford uploaded two pictures to Instagram from the game, along with the caption: “Champions League nights. We’re at the halfway stage! See you next week.”
Rashford will hope he can follow Jadon Sancho’s path from last season when the fellow United loanee joined Borussia Dortmund on loan midway through the season before reaching the Champions League final.
United set to miss out on Champions League football
With United 14th in the Premier League and out of the FA Cup, the only chance of qualifying for European football next season comes with winning the Europa League outright.
That means Rashford is enjoying the biggest benefit of joining Aston Villa – playing in the Champions League – which is not possible at United this season.
Rashford has a chance to play on the biggest stage but he will need to perform better than he did against Brugge to attract interest from Europe’s biggest clubs.
Champions League football now seems an unlikely objective for United to achieve for a second season running.
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