A new home, and hopefully a new dawn for Marcus Rashford. Less than a month after shocking world football by revealing his desire to leave Manchester United, the 27-year-old star has made for the Old Trafford exit, calling an end to what has been, without question, the most turbulent spell of his career so far. Admitting in a post on social media that it came as an 'easy decision', Rashford has signed for Aston Villa on a short-term loan until the end of the season, with a £40million buy option included in his deal this summer.

Few players in history have 60 senior England caps to their name and almost 150 goals for Manchester United. By these parameters, Rashford shares the company of some of football's all-time greats, including Sir Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney. Glancing at his record on paper, Villa have lured an elite forward with experience and pedigree at the highest level for a fee that, in today's market, seems largely inexpensive.

And for Rashford, he's moving to a club that is on the rise and offering knockout Champions League football, with a top coach in Unai Emery who has coached some of the world's best players including Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Marcus Rashford completed his move to Aston Villa on Sunday, sealing his Man United exit. The forward has been a key part on Man United's attack for years - but endured a sharp decline.

Rashford, 27, will wear the No 9 shirt at Villa Park as he bids to revive his career in football. Yet, despite the move appearing to suit both parties, there's an overwhelming sense of regret at Rashford's departure. Manchester United legend Gary Neville spoke poignantly when reflecting on the move on Sunday, admitting it left him with a 'tinge of sadness'. His sentiments will be shared by several Manchester United fans, who watched Rashford play a major role at Old Trafford over the last nine years, only to pen to paper with another Premier League rival.

'Thinking of Marcus Rashford as an eight, nine-year-old United academy player, given a big contract a couple of years ago, scoring 30 goals a couple of years ago and being on top of his game, on and off the pitch, but the deterioration in the last couple of years has been alarming,' he said on The Gary Neville Podcast. 'It is an absolute must that he has to get out of Manchester United and Old Trafford, and I feel sad saying that even a few weeks ago, let alone a few months ago.'.

So what went wrong for Manchester United's star forward? The roots of his demise seem to dig significantly deeper than falling out with new Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim, who has exiled the forward ever since his bombshell admission at the start of January. Just two seasons ago under Erik ten Hag, Rashford was United's primary source of goals. His tally of 29 across all competitions, including 17 in the Premier League, propelled United to a third place finish behind Manchester City and Arsenal — a position that Red Devils fans would be ecstatic about at the present time.

His season-best total was not a one-off either. Rashford had already demonstrated an ability to score in droves in the Premier League, having netted 17 in the competition back in 2019-20. Rashford has missed United's last 13 games - his appearance came on December 12 2024. Gary Neville admitted he was hit with a 'tinge of sadness' following Rashford's departure. The 27-year-old took to Instagram to share a message with his fans after sealing the move.

And for all his impact on the pitch, the England international arguably made a bigger influence off it during his highly successful spell, endearing himself to fans after launching a deeply personal crusade against former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to persuade the Government to reverse their decision on school meal vouchers. Thanks to Rashford, who endured a difficult upbringing as one of five children raised by a single mother, his campaign guaranteed 1.3million children school meals during the summer holidays back in 2020.

It led to the England international being made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2021. His form on the pitch and ambassadorial presence of it led to Manchester United offering Rashford a reported weekly wage of £325,000 in the summer of 2023, just months after he registered his season-best total in front of goal. Since becoming one of the Red Devils' highest earners, the goals have dried up for Rashford and his performances have wilted by comparison, leading to him falling drastically in the pecking order, first under Ten Hag and later Amorim.

Ahead of his upcoming Aston Villa debut, Rashford has scored just 11 Premier League goals across two seasons since signing the deal, six fewer than he managed during his career-high campaign. But Rashford's demise at Old Trafford cannot only be put down to his waning form on the football pitch. The star was surprisingly dropped by Ten Hag last season due to an 'internal disciplinary issue', which was later revealed as an error in timekeeping. United's former lynchpin revealed he was axed from the matchday squad against Wolves for oversleeping and arriving late to a team meeting.