Marcus Rashford's Next Move? Wayne Rooney Weighs In After PSG Performance

ston Villa s Marcus Rashford during the Aston Villa vs Paris Saint Germain Quarter Final 2nd Leg UEFA Champions League match at Villa Park, Birmingham

Marcus Rashford's Next Move? Wayne Rooney Weighs In After PSG Performance

Festus Chuma 06:46 - 16.04.2025

Wayne Rooney insists Rashford remains loyal to Manchester United as Daniel Sturridge praises his revival during loan spell at Villa.

Aston Villa might have fallen just short in their Champions League comeback bid against Paris Saint-Germain but the night was still filled with promise, especially for Marcus Rashford.

The Manchester United loanee put in another impressive display in Villa's valiant 3-2 second-leg win over PSG.

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However, the result was not enough to overturn a first-leg deficit but proved enough to ignite new debates about Rashford’s long-term future.

"Marcus Rashford wants to play for Manchester United, 100 per cent," claimed Wayne Rooney, United's all-time top scorer as per Daily Mail.

"He is a Manchester lad, Man United fan, and over the last couple of years it has been difficult. He needed to play and it was clear he wouldn’t play for the rest of the season at United."

Rashford, 27, was sent out on loan in January after falling out of favour under new United manager Ruben Amorim.

Rooney: Rashford Still Dreams of Old Trafford Glory

But his move to Villa has been nothing short of a resurgence and he now boasts six assists and three goals in 15 appearances.

Rooney, speaking after the match, made it clear that despite Rashford’s standout form for Unai Emery’s side, his heart remains at Old Trafford.

"He has clearly shown, sometimes you have to keep banging on the manager’s door, put them in a position where they can’t leave you out," Rooney added.

"In an ideal world he would like to leave a legacy at United, whether that is possible I don't know, but this is what I’d love to see."

Loan Move Sparks Career Revival for Rashford

It was not Rooney alone who was keen to affirm Rashford’s desire to succeed at United, another voice in football praised the forward's response to adversity.

Former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge was full of admiration for Rashford’s resurgence.

"The narrative before he came was he was not the same player. He has proven everyone wrong," Sturridge said.

"There was a narrative that he is not the same player and Amorim was correct but he has shown everyone again this is who I am and how I play."

Rashford’s performances have been influential in Villa’s European run, and while his league goal tally remains modest, his creativity and movement have drawn praise from pundits and fans alike.

"Sometimes as a player it is down to you to show the manager, sometimes you won’t get love from a manager so you go on loan or fight to get your spot and do what the manager wants to do and he has chosen to come here and it has worked out," Sturridge continued.

There is also a growing sense that Aston Villa, with their current upward trajectory under Emery, offer a more appealing project than United—a notion even Rooney acknowledged.

"This is why I said about Villa at the top level, Rashford feels he has a better chance of trophies and performing here than at United," Rooney said.

"It is a worry for United, but from Villa’s point of view it is a positive."

Still, the door remains open at Old Trafford. Amorim has previously brought players like Alejandro Garnacho back into the fold, and Rashford's recent form could earn him another shot.

"The future is in Man United’s hands, he is their player and he will have options if United don't want him," Sturridge concluded.

"But as United I am looking at him and they have to work out a way to make it work."