Raphaël Varane agrees with Roy Keane on “strange” Marcus Rashford decision after Aston Villa loan

Raphaël Varane has spoken on Marcus Rashford’s decision to leave Manchester United and join Aston Villa on loan.

Manchester United signed Raphaël Varane from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 and he spent three years at the club.

The Frenchman’s final game in red came in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City last season, but many feel that it was the 2022/23 campaign where he showed his best form.

Varane built a strong partnership with Lisandro Martínez in the heart of United’s defence that year which led to the club finishing third in the Premier League and winning the Carabao Cup.

Marcus Rashford was the talisman that season as he scored 30 goals in all competitions, including one in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle at Wembley.

However, the English forward struggled to recreate that form in the following campaign and after Ruben Amorim took charge earlier this season, it quickly became clear that his future would be elsewhere.

Rashford wanted to join Barcelona in the January transfer window, but the deal was unable to be completed due to the Spanish club’s financial situation. Instead, he has joined Aston Villa after Unai Emery pushed for the move.

Rashford’s Villa move labelled “strange” by Keane

The 27-year-old has started well at Villa Park with two promising displays from the bench before starting in a 2-2 draw against league leaders Liverpool.

However, his decision to join the Villains caught the surprise of many, including former United captain Roy Keane.

Keane explained that he thought Rashford’s decision was “strange” as he expected the player to move to another country for a different challenge.

“The strange thing for me was I thought when Marcus was going to leave Man United he was going to go abroad and try something new,” the ex-United midfielder said.

“A new adventure for him, a different league, a different challenge. To go to Villa surprises me a little bit.”

Varane agrees with Keane’s assessment of Rashford move

That is an opinion which Varane, former teammate of Rashford, shares.

The ex-defender, who retired from the game earlier this season after suffering an injury, rates Rashford as one of his best United teammates.

But he also understands why the forward would have wanted to leave the club, with the negative atmosphere at Old Trafford having an impact over many years.

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The one thing that “surprised” the 31-year-old is that Rashford decided to stay in the Premier League and not move further away from where he has been based for so long.

“Staying for so many years with this level of intensity and demand, years when the overall atmosphere is often negative because performances are below expectations, it’s very, very difficult,” Varane told The Athletic.

“For him to change his environment is positive. He is someone who loves the club and who gives everything for the shirt. But I’m surprised he’s going [to a club] so close to Manchester. I imagined him going further than a few kilometres away.”

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