Marcus Rashford is officially an Aston Villa player - and he has opted for the No.9 shirt instead of his favoured No.10. The Manchester United forward, 27, always looked likely to leave Old Trafford this month after being ostracised from the first-team by Ruben Amorim shortly after his arrival back in November. Despite reports claiming that Rashford was poised to head out on loan to Europe it's Villa who have signed the 60-cap England star. Rashford put pen to paper on a loan switch on Sunday night which could become permanent if all parties are happy moving forward.

Rashford brings a wealth of Premier League and European experience to a Villa side who have flourished under the stewardship of Unai Emery. The No.10 shirt, one he's worn for United in recent years, was vacant after Emi Buendia left to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan. But Rashford has instead been given No.9, which was available following Jhon Duran's big-money move to Saudi Arabia club Al-Nassr. Rashford endured a difficult 2023-24 campaign, but he did produce career-best numbers the year before under Erik ten Hag, where he scored 30 goals for United.

He has found goals and game time hard to come by again this season, though. And with Villa willing to fund a large portion of the forward's reported £325,000-a-week wages, Rashford will be given a chance to rediscover his best form in a new environment. Join the debate! Is Rashford a good signing for Aston Villa? Let us know here. The player himself admitted back in December that he was ready for a new challenge after spending his entire career at United. And he took to social media to express his excitement at what lies ahead with Villa.

"I would like to thank Manchester United and Aston Villa for making this loan deal happen," Rashford wrote. "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 managers’ 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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