So now we know. Aston Villa is looking for a new Center-Forward and the future of Marcus Rashford is closely linked to their search.
If Unai Emery Ollie Watkins ignores for a 17 -minute of Aston Villa's biggest match for a generation, this suggests that he has lost some confidence in England's attacker. Villa will certainly listen to offers for Watkins this summer – although finding a club to get the asking price for a player who will be 30 in December, may be difficult.
Villa rejected about £ 45 million from Arsenal for Watkins in January. The question now surrounds that will be its long -term replacement, and Villa will be much more attractive for potential goals if they can compete again in Europe's largest stage next season.
Fourth placed Newcastle, who are two points free from the men of Emery, Villa Park visits on Saturday. Villa then travel to Manchester City, currently one point above them, on April 22. Win that, and Villa will be in the box seat for a top five finish and a second consecutive season in the Champions League.
The enchantment of Rashford in Villa is fascinating. He can drive to the margins of a game for long spells only to produce moments of inspiration that most others in the team cannot.
A classic example was Tuesday's exciting collision with Paris Saint-Germain, when Villa won 3-2 but missed a place in the semi-final of the Champions League despite that roaring Vechtback. Little went well for Rashford in the first half and he lost the ball 14 times over the game. But in the second half he produced a fantastic run and shot that pulled an even better save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Moments later, Rashford got his way through Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha and played the perfect pass for Ezri Konsa to score the third. Many attackers could go through a whole season without delivering what Rashford did in those few minutes.
Does it mean that he is Villa's long -term NO9? There are several obstacles to delete that to make that a reality.
First, the circumstances of player and club. Without Champions League football it is difficult to see how Villa Rashford draws, despite their £ 40 million purchase option. The 27-year-old earns £ 325,000 a week at Manchester United and has shown enough during this spell in Villa to generate interest among clubs, among other things.
Secondly, even if Villa is again eligible for the European main club competition, can they use a considerable part of their wage budget for a player who will turn 28 in October? Assuming he signs a four or five -year contract, that is a huge edition, especially since Rashford will have little resale value at the end of his deal. Three goals and five assists on loan are decent, but do not ask to break the bank.
Villa's plan has always been to focus a young player who can lead their attack for years. They tried their best to make Jhon Duran that man, but the Colombian is a complex character and when Villa had to sell last winter, £ 66.5 million from Saudi club Al-Nassr was too good to reject.
If Villa achieves the top five, the most sensible option for the club and Rashford can be a seasonal loan agreement. By signing Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan, Emery has demonstrated that he is willing to embrace temporary solutions in the market.
Emery is becoming increasingly convinced that modern attackers must be versatile and he likes to be able to use Rashford through the middle and left.
If United sells, they would rather do this permanently. Yet the market is obsessed with young people. Clubs that could afford the reimbursement and wages for Rashford would generally prefer to spend it on younger players.
That is why the loan option can be so attractive. Rashford is said to be in a club where he is loved by supporters, with a manager who trusts him and where he would play regularly in a World Cup year.
A loan would also release funds for Villa to chase a center-forward artist as Ferran Torres from Barcelona, or a player who could be developed by Emery in the season before he became the most important man for the 2026-27 campaign.
Emery is as good as Villa Baas supported and the club brilliantly reimbursed. But the results in the coming weeks will determine how effective Villa can work on the market this summer.
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