Marcus Rashford was criticised after watching Chris Eubank Jr’s victory over Conor Benn, shortly after he missed Aston Villa’s FA Cup defeat, with claims Unai Emery won’t want him
Doubts have been raised over whether Aston Villa will choose to sign Marcus Rashford permanently due to the “circus” surrounding the star. Rashford, who is currently on loan at Villa from Manchester United, missed the Midlands club’s 3-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday through injury.
The forward was notably absent at Wembley for one of his new team’s biggest games of the season. However, Rashford did manage to make it to watch Chris Eubank Jr’s victory over Conor Benn at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium later the same day.
The 27-year-old sparked a social media storm as he was spotted soaking up the atmosphere at ringside alongside stars like Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, Hollywood icon Idris Elba and Love Island host Maya Jama. Rashford’s appearance at the boxing match attracted criticism on social media due to the nature of Villa’s defeat and his surprise absence, with one fan labelling him ‘tone deaf’.
In light of the controversy over his behaviour, former United goalkeeper Ben Foster has questioned whether Villa are likely to exercise their £40million option to make Rashford’s move permanent. The ex-Wrexham player made his comments after claiming Unai Emery is unlikely to want the extra baggage associated with the star.
“I don’t think he’s a £40m player for Villa,” Foster said on his Fozcast podcast. “With Marcus Rashford, comes too much of a circus. There always just seems to be too many other stories and it’s not always about football.
“There’s always something else with the boxing match and going to that but not going to the game. I just don’t think Unai Emery wants that and I don’t think he needs that. He’ll be able to spend £40m elsewhere, and I think you’ll get better results in a bigger picture by doing it that way.”
Foster warned United that they could suffer a double blow if Villa choose not to make Rashford’s stay permanent. As well as missing out on £40m, he suggested Villa could also turn their attentions to one of the Red Devils’ main transfer targets.
United are reported to be keen on signing Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap during the summer, with the Tractor Boys’ imminent relegation triggering a £30m release clause in the 22-year-old’s contract. But Foster believes they may face stiffy competition after comparing Delap’s off-field profile favourably to Rashford’s.
He said: “You don’t get any of that other stuff off the pitch with Liam Delap. You’re not getting these pictures taken and paparazzi following him everywhere. That’s the problem with it – it’s not just signing a player anymore, you’ve got to sign everything that comes with it.”
Rashford was left out of the squad entirely for Villa’s defeat to Palace. Emery confirmed after the match that he had sustained a hamstring injury and could potentially miss the rest of the season.
When asked about Rashford by the BBC, the Villa boss gave a curt response: “You know because you made the question before. I told you, he’s injured.”
Rashford has been a regular at Villa Park since joining on loan at the start of February. However, uncertainty remains over his future at the club with only four matches left this season.
United head coach Ruben Amorim has already made it clear that he doesn’t see Rashford as part of his plans. The player himself is understood to favour a move abroad to a Champions League side if he does leave Old Trafford.
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