Marcus Rashford may or may not return for Aston Villa before this season, and with it his loan spell, reaches conclusion. The Manchester United forward suffered a hamstring injury, and now faces a race against the clock to recover ahead of England’s World Cup qualify matches in June.
‘For tomorrow, he’s not available,” Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said on Friday, the last time that he spoke publicly on the Rashford situation.
Aston Villa at AFC Bournemouth FYIs
Kick-off time: 5:30PM GMT, Saturday May 10, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK
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Premier League Position: Aston Villa 60 pts, 7th AFC Bournemouth 8th, 53 pts
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Rashford the Only AVFC Fitness Concern
“He’s working on his comeback as soon as possible, but there are still weeks to be available. Hopefully, he will play with us in one or two matches.”
According to reports, Rashford flew out to Dubai in late April so that he could take part in a specialized recovery program in the warm weather training environment of the Middle East. Once he gets back to full fitness, then another question looms- what club will he play for next?
Will Villa exercise his buy option? Having become persona non grata at Manchester United, he’s obviously not headed back there. He fell way down the pecking order at United, and found himself struggling for playing time. But at Villa Park, Rashford has successfully salvaged his career.
There will be potential suitors aplenty. Villa have not other injury/fitness concerns at this time.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter