The monster of a club that is Manchester United spits and chews out players a remarkable amount.
- Published before Aston Villa's 2-0 win over Cardiff
It doesn't matter if you're Manchester-born and bred. A youth academy product that burst onto the scene and fulfilled your dream to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Eventually, the toxicity engulfs everyone.
The grass away from Old Trafford tends to be much greener.
Players can express themselves and thrive in new pastures, free of the incessant pressure cooker environment at United.
While it'll still take some getting used to, the same is happening with one of the more prominent United players in recent years - Marcus Rashford at Aston Villa.
After Jhon Duran dramatically left towards the end of the January transfer window, it paved the way for Villa to sign Rashford on loan. He was dropped by Ruben Amorim and hadn't played a minute of football since December.
It could be a renewed hunger to prove he still has plenty left in the tank to corners of the media who have been harsh to the England striker or enjoying the loosening shackles of the Manchester United pit hole.
It may simply be wanting to convince long-term admirers Barcelona into prying him to Spain in the summer. What we do know is that Rashford is terrorising Premier League defences again.
A mix of Unai Emery's coaching combined with a more settled side means less of the burden is on Rashford's shoulders to produce.
Minutes have been managed
Emery couldn't yet rely on Rashford for full matches.
Though he trained with United and kept himself fit, Rashford hadn’t featured since December 7 against Nottingham Forest. You’d need to go six days further back on December 1 for the last time he completed 90 minutes.
This may have worked in the favour of both the player and his new club. It's no surprise that Rashford's most effective performances so far have come off the bench.
Marcus Rashford on the assist, Marco Asensio gets the goal! 🤝
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 22, 2025
Aston Villa's goal is ruled onside after a VAR review ✅ pic.twitter.com/lWnd5lngQG
Teams have found it difficult to prepare for Villa's secret weapon.
After Malo Gusto (Chelsea) and Axel Tuanzebe (Ipswich) had faced Morgan Rogers for 45 minutes, they were completely unprepared for Rashford in the second-half of those contests.
It helps that Villa were chasing the game in both so Rashford was encouraged to get at the full-backs.
He managed to create moments that turned both around. Against Ipswich, his fierce free-kick rattled the bar resulting in the equaliser while he assisted both of Marco Asensio’s goals vs Chelsea.
An immediate impact
In that previously mentioned contest with Chelsea, Rashford only had 27 touches but it was enough to turn the game around.
In Emery’s system, Rashford is being told to stay high and wide, without contributing much to the build-up - he doesn’t need to.
Villa dropped two midfielders close to the defence, positioning two attackers in Asensio and Jacob Ramsey into midfield to form a box with John McGinn and Youri Tielemans.
What this means is Villa are covering Chelsea’s attack and midfield press. Rashford doesn't have to get involved, he can wait for the ball to come wide and do what he does best, run one versus one against an opponent.
He wasn't a constant threat but an effective one. Eventually, when Villa crossed the ball, Rashford's wide positioning saw him hook the ball back into Asensio’s path from the back post.
At United, there was always this burden of pressure because, for the last two years, it's an attack that relied on moments from its players.
If that moment didn’t come, the crowd would voice their displeasure.
However, Emery's Villa has an attack which functions better.
With Asensio, Ollie Watkins and Ramsey pinning Chelsea's line back man-for-man, Rashford can run at Gusto, wait to feint and then cross.
Emery is getting more out of Rashford because he is putting the forward in situations where he knows he can create something which allows him to thrive.
It also helps that the fire in Rashford’s belly has been ignited - he looks like a player determined to prove a point.
He looks sharper, his dribbles have a sense of confidence and it feels like he knows he’s the outlet.
When Ipswich went down to ten men, Villa would constantly look wide for Rashford.
As they pushed up against the opposition back five, he received from deep dragging the full-back out of the five before darting at the defence and crossing.
There hasn’t been much of a change to Rashford’s game.
The former United striker is playing in an attack which allows him to get into situations where he knows he can get the better of a defender. Villa aren't playing him in an unfamiliar way.
Nine years ago, Rashford scored the only goal in a 1-0 United victory to relegate Aston Villa to the Sky Bet Championship.
Who would've thought almost a decade later, the Wythenshawe-born forward would be playing for the Villains attempting to rejuvenate his career.
Under Emery, Rashford looks like his old self again.
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