The league is impressive, but the individual is not.
The United Kingdom's Express reported on the 26th (Korean time) that "Sam Allardyce expressed support regarding Marcus Rashford's decision to leave Manchester United for Aston Villa in the January transfer market" and noted, "He praised Rashford by saying he is different from Jesse Lingard, who plays for an obscure team in the outskirts."
Rashford left for Villa on loan on the 3rd. At that time, Aston Villa officially announced the loan signing of Rashford, stating, "Our club is pleased to announce the loan deal for Rashford from Manchester United. Rashford will play at Villa until the end of the season."
Rashford was a special player for Manchester United fans. He joined the Manchester United youth team in 2005 and gradually grew to make his professional debut for United in 2016. In his first season, the 2015-2016 season, he played in 11 league matches, scoring 5 goals and providing 2 assists, fulfilling fans' expectations. He inherited the number 10 jersey after Wayne Rooney left the team.
Rashford recorded his first double-digit league goals since making his professional debut in the 2018-2019 season. In the 2019-2020 season, he scored 17 goals, rising as the team's main striker.
Although Rashford performed well, scoring 17 league goals in the 2022-2023 season, he struggled during the 2023-2024 season. He managed to score only 7 goals in 33 league matches.
Entering the 2024-2025 season, he regained some level of performance, but evaluations indicate it falls short compared to his previous peak. Moreover, recent decisions by Coach Amorim to completely exclude him from the starting lineup resulted in Rashford losing his position within the team.
Ultimately, Manchester United and Rashford chose a brief separation. Numerous clubs, including FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, targeted Rashford, but he departed to Aston Villa, a competing Premier League team.
Rashford's Villa debut took place on the 10th during the 2024-2025 season FA Cup fourth-round match against Tottenham Hotspur. Rashford was substituted in for Leon Bailey in the 67th minute, marking his debut. He achieved a passing accuracy of 93% (13/14), had 22 touches in the opponent's box, and successfully dribbled once, showcasing a strong performance.
After the match, Rashford shared a photo from his debut on social media, leaving a short message, "Thank you for the warm welcome."
Regarding Rashford's transfer, Allardyce, who has coached several clubs in the Premier League, compared Rashford to Lingard from the past. He noted that when Lingard received almost no chances at Manchester United during the 2020-2021 season, he went on loan to West Ham United in the winter transfer market, where he recorded 9 goals and 4 assists in 16 matches, performing brilliantly.
West Ham aimed for a permanent transfer, but Lingard chose to return to Manchester United. However, he could not secure a spot again upon returning to United and eventually joined Seoul after spanning several teams. Allardyce claimed, "Lingard made the mistake of returning to Manchester United and now plays without presence for an obscure team in South Korea."
This comment was inconsiderate in many ways. Allardyce is referred to as a public property manager representing the Premier League. Such a person disparaged a player in another league. In reality, Lingard expressed great satisfaction about playing in Seoul. He smiled in an interview with British media, stating, "I am happy to play in Seoul."
[OSEN]