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Marcus Rashford’s hamstring injury has effectively ended his time at Aston Villa and forced Manchester United to act ahead of the summer transfer window when he wants a permanent move
Manchester United are now just a day away from their most important game of the season. United travel to northern Spain to play Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final knowing the stakes are high.
Ruben Amorim’s side are 14th in the Premier League and have gone five matches without a win in the competition, following the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Sunday. They know that their only chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season lies in winning the Europa League final on May 21.
They have two games against Athletic Club to get through first, although thoughts have already turned to what the summer holds. The transfer window opens for business on June 1 and United are plotting moves to strengthen their ailing squad.
Much will depend on the success of their sales, with four loanees top of the list to secure permanent deals for. Marcus Rashford is the most high-profile of the lot – and there’s an update on his future in the latest round-up from Mirror Football.
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford sets sight on next move after making £40m transfer decisionREAD MORE: Mason Greenwood given backhanded compliment after matching Didier Drogba record
Rashford favours Barca
Rashford’s future as been a hot topic of conversation of late, with Amorim himself speaking about the subject before the Bournemouth game. Rashford is currently on loan with Aston Villa until the end of the season but a hamstring injury saw him miss their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace over the weekend and it has complicated his situation.
The 27-year-old appears to have played his final game of the season. He is set to miss Villa’s upcoming games against Fulham, Bournemouth and Tottenham and, even if he recovers, he is ineligible to play the final game of the season because it’s against his parent club United.
Talks have therefore taken place about terminating his loan deal early. Rashford doesn’t see a future for himself at United, who are happy to sell this summer, but he is also understood to favour a move abroad to a Champions League side – preferably Barcelona – rather than staying with Villa. His £350,000-a-week wages on a deal until June 2028 complicate matters even more, however.
Cunha verdict
While Rashford doesn’t have a future at Old Trafford, Matheus Cunha certainly does. The Wolves forward is set to join United in a £62.5million transfer once the window opens and will be a big upgrade on the club’s current crop of forwards.
«If Cunha signs for Manchester United, he’s going to be an upgrade,” said former United player Paul Parker. “A 100 percent upgrade on what they have at the moment. It doesn’t mean he’s going to be the best and perfect, but he’ll be better than what they’ve got at the moment. He’s not a centre-forward. He’s athletic, he’s a runner, he’s very very demanding.
“You can see that he hates to lose. He’s definitely an upgrade on what United have at the moment, as a forward player. When you look at United’s forward players at the moment, Amad is the best. Everyone else is inconsistent.»
Fernandes feeling downbeat
Bruno Fernandes has rejected the idea that lifting the Europa League trophy next month will made United’s season an outright success. Qualifying for the Champions League is a hugely important goal for the club, but Fernandes feels they need to aim higher.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a reward, I think it will just be successful in terms of the Europa League,» the Portuguese midfielder said. «It’s very important to do that, to get the silverware this season. But it won’t save anything.”
The United captain isn’t underestimating Athletic Bilbao, either, with the Spanish side fourth in La Liga. He said: «They have the final at home if they beat us, so it will be really tough. You have to be prepared.»
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