Marcus Rashford’s departure from Manchester United is official.
In case you missed it, Sunday night saw Aston Villa announce the signing of the Manchester United academy graduate.
Marcus Rashford got the move he has wanted ever since a club-shaking interview with Henry Winter back in December.
Now, Rashford will spend the rest of the season with Villa, and the deal could even be made permanent should the Birmingham-based side trigger a £40m buy option.
After the announcement, Rashford took to Instagram with a message, to which Jadon Sancho was among those to respond.
Now, one of Carrington’s most exciting talents has sent Rashford a message.
- READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfer deals for January 2025, ins, outs, loan moves, deadline date
JJ Gabriel reveals what Marcus Rashford did for him before loan exit
With messages being sent to Rashford on Instagram, wishing him well on his new journey, one reply caught the eye.
It was from a United U16 ace, Lionel Messi-like talent JJ Gabriel, as he revealed a special moment he shared with Rashford.
The 14-year-old wrote: “All the best, thanks for taking pens with me other day”, followed by a clapping emoji.
This is a moment which clearly means a great deal to Gabriel, and it will stay with him for his whole career.
Rashford parting with some wisdom on penalty-taking shows he is a class act off the pitch, and could benefit United’s wonderkid in the future – we will know who to thank if he becomes elite from the spot.
It emphasises the role Rashford has within United, with all of the academy looking up to the 27-year-old and dreaming that one day they will replicate his rise.
Amir Ibragimov also shows this as he has been doing the Rashford celebration lately.
Rashford is a role model, and given he is an academy graduate it does hurt to see him exit. But Ineos must use this experience to learn and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
- READ MORE: Who is Marcus Rashford? Inside the life of Man Utd’s book-writing, government-tackling ace
Manchester United must ensure wonderkid is never in Rashford position
United’s academy is sublime right now, with a number of players that the club are very excited about – JJ Gabriel ranks highly in this regard.
Gabriel scored once and assisted three in the U16 Manchester derby at the weekend and is wanted across Europe including by Barcelona.
However, if he stays at United, Ineos must turn the club into a place where elite prospects can come through and thrive – not become scapegoats due to the failures of United.
This goes for Shea Lacey, Chido Obi, Ibragimov and the list goes on. They will all be slightly upset with how Rashford’s exit transpired, so United must ensure it doesn’t happen to them in the future.
The club is built on using the academy, and the Rashford situation is a tough pill to swallow because he should have retired at Old Trafford.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
