Update: |Marcus Rashford delivers ‘bad news’ for Man United with transfer verdict reached News

Marcus Rashford has looked like a new man since being loaned to Aston Villa, and a former Manchester United star says the 27-year-old will now leave Old Trafford for good in the summer

Marcus Rashford’s impressive form for Aston Villa spells “bad news” for Manchester United, a former Red Devils player has claimed. After being frozen out by Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, Rashford has looked more like his old self since joining Villa in the January transfer window.

The 27-year-old has so far scored three goals and provided four assists on loan, regaining his place in the England squad in the process. Ex-United goalkeeper Ben Foster has now suggested there is “no way back” for Rashford, who he believes would favour a move away from his boyhood club in the summer.

Rashford’s loan deal is understood to include a £40million option for Villa to make the loan deal permanent in the next transfer window. Whether the forward chooses to stay at United or leave remains to be seen, but Foster thinks a return is looking less likely as he appears to be content at Villa Park.

“Marcus Rashford looks happy playing,” the former England and Wrexham shot-stopper said on his Fozcast podcast. “He looks strong, he looks quick and he’s scoring goals. He’s got a lovely little partnership with some of those players at Villa like Asensio.”

Discussing what it means for the Red Devils, Foster added: “It’s nice to see but it’s all bad news for Man United because all of their ex-players are just going out and having a nice time and enjoying their football. They’ve got a smile on their face, but they’re not good enough for that Man United team, apparently.

“He is 100 per cent playing for his move and I don’t see a way back. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s from Man United’s side – I think Rashford is done with them now. Sometimes it just comes to an end.”

Foster continued: “I think he would feel like the way he’s been treated isn’t good enough. Whether it’s deserved or not [the criticism], I think you see that he’s at a club now where they’re enjoying him and he’s enjoying them.”

Rashford is not the only player to have excelled since leaving United, with Anthony Elanga coming back to haunt his old club last week by scoring Nottingham Forest’s winning goal. Scott McTominay has flourished at Napoli this season, and even Antony has rediscovered his best form on loan at Real Betis.

Following renewed questions about why several stars have shone after moving away from Old Trafford, United head coach Amorim suggested that the pressure of playing for the club was a key reason for their contrasting performances.

However, that argument has been challenged by Gary Lineker on a recent episode of the Rest is Football podcast. The Match of the Day presenter indicated that the off-field turmoil at United is more to blame.

“I saw him interviewed and we know he’s quite open when he does his interviews and answers every question, but they were saying why are Manchester United players doing well elsewhere,” Lineker said. “And he was saying ‘it’s the pressure of playing at a club like Manchester United’.

“I’m not buying that, I’m sorry. If you’re playing at any big football club, you need to be able to handle pressure to be there in the first place.

“People like Rashford, they’ve done it really well at certain times to prove that it’s not that. I just think it’s that seeping down from the top. The club gets in a bit of a mess and it’s all over the shop.”