“I thought…” Roy Keane reveals what he finds “strange” about Marcus Rashford’s Aston Villa loan deal

Roy Keane has explained what he has found strange about Marcus Rashford’s loan from Manchester United to Aston Villa for the rest of the campaign.

Marcus Rashford has joined Aston Villa on a six-month loan, with the 27-year-old seeking a fresh challenge away from Manchester United.

Once the focal point of United’s attack, Rashford enjoyed a standout 30-goal season under Erik ten Hag in 2022/23. However, his form has since dipped, and he struggled for minutes under Rúben Amorim.

With Amad and Bruno Fernandes now central to United’s setup, Rashford had not featured in over six weeks before sealing his move to Villa Park.

A product of United’s academy, he announced himself with a sensational debut at 18, scoring twice against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League before netting another brace against Arsenal in the Premier League.

Since then, he has made over 420 appearances for United, scoring 138 goals and providing 63 assists while winning five major trophies.

What surprised Keane about Rashford’s loan

Former United midfielder and club captain Roy Keane has always been very vocal about his old club since he took up punditry, and he has always had some choice words to say about Rashford.

With the loan to Villa having been confirmed last week, Keane explained that he is surprised Rashford chose to sign for another club in England rather than head abroad.

“If he’s lost the hunger at Man United – how will he get it at Aston Villa? Once you lose the hunger, it’s hard to get it back,” Keane told ITV earlier this week.

“It’s sad but it’s been on the cards for the last year or two, especially since the new manager has come in. Clearly, they didn’t get on.

“The manager got no reaction from Marcus. 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. A new adventure for him, a different league, a different challenge.

“To go to Villa surprises me a little bit. I know Aston Villa are going along nicely, but you can’t compare them to Manchester United.”

Why Rashford chose Aston Villa

The player has already explained why he picked Villa, explaining that he saw the Birmingham club’s ambition as the perfect opportunity for him to start playing regular football again.

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“I would like to thank Manchester United and Aston Villa for making this loan deal happen,” Rashford said.

“I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me, but Aston Villa was an easy decision – I really admire the way that Aston Villa have been playing this season, and the manager’s ambitions.

“I just want to play football and am excited to get started. I wish everyone at Manchester United all the best for the rest of the season.”

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