Marcus Rashford comments say a lot as Jadon Sancho offered Manchester United escape route

Marcus Rashford comments say a lot as Jadon Sancho offered Manchester United escape route

Marcus Rashford spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, and Jadon Sancho will be desperate for a similar reception as he heads to the Midlands on deadline day

Jadon Sancho is on his way out of Manchester United (Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Jadon Sancho will likely appreciate Marcus Rashford's past comments about his own loan stint at Aston Villa, as the Manchester United winger prepares for a similar move.

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Sancho is set to join Villa on a season-long loan after being sidelined by Ruben Amorim during pre-season, alongside Tyrell Malacia, Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. Currently, Malacia is the only one remaining at Old Trafford; with Rashford loaned out to Barcelona, Garnacho completing a £40million transfer to Chelsea last week, and Sancho heading to Villa on deadline day.

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The 25-year-old will likely seek advice from his former United and England teammate about working under Unai Emery. Rashford spent the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at Villa, making a significant impact on the team during his brief tenure. And his positive comments on the club will no doubt reassure Sancho.

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Upon signing, Rashford confessed that he had been approached by "a few clubs", but choosing Villa was "an easy decision". He added: "I really admire the way that Aston Villa have been playing this season, and the manager's ambitions. I just want to play football and am excited to get started."

The Manchester-born star excelled in the Champions League for Villa, scoring four times across all competitions and significantly bolstering Emery's attacking line. However, injury ultimately disrupted his spell in the west Midlands, and he made a brief return to United during the summer, before departing overseas to sign for Barcelona.

As Rashford bid farewell to the Villa faithful, his comments may offer some reassurance to Sancho ahead of his Birmingham move for the campaign. Taking to social media at the time, Rashford said: "Just a message of thanks to everyone here at Villa for what has (injury aside) been an incredible few months for me.

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The pair were both out on loan from United last season (Image: Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

"It is a really special club and I appreciated the way Villa fans embraced me with open arms from 1st minute on the pitch. Manager, team, and coaching staff have all been brilliant.

"I know it is a huge disappointment not to have made the Champions League place which everyone worked so hard all season for but I know this club and team will come back stronger."

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Rashford also witnessed his fitness levels and scoring form flourish during his Villa stint. He reflected on his renewed confidence after their commanding 3-0 triumph over Preston North End, which secured their FA Cup semi-final place.

Following his brace in that game, the 27-year-old said: "It's a great feeling, I feel like I've been getting fitter and playing better football since I've been here. It's obviously nice for a forward to get a goal so hopefully it continues.

"I think we have to just take it one game at a time and give it 100 percent on the pitch and see where it takes us. We're a very ambitious team – we want to win and try and get as far as we can in all competitions and we also want to push to get back into the top four."

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Sancho will spend his season in the Premier League - but not at United (Image: Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Sancho will no doubt hope for a similar experience to Rashford after several years of inconsistency. Across his 83 appearances for the club since arriving, the winger has scored 12 times and provided six assists.

His most recent outing in red came during a penalty shootout loss to Manchester City in the Community Shield last year, where he only featured for seven minutes and failed to convert his spot-kick.

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Sancho is poised to move with Villa on a temporary basis, with Sky Sports reporting that his new employers will cover a fee plus 80% of his salary.

The 25-year-old has also reached the final year of his contract with United - though the club possesses a 12-month extension clause - but it appears increasingly likely that the player will not remain at Old Trafford beyond next summer.

Meanwhile, Emi Martinez has been considering making the reverse journey from Villa to United. However, the Red Devils have now secured an agreement for Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, which could potentially rule Martinez out of Amorim's thinking for the forthcoming campaign – though anything remains possible on deadline day.

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