Aston Villa have agreed a loan deal until the end of the season with Manchester United for Marcus Rashford. Villa will cover a minimum of three-quarters of his wages for the duration of his stay at Villa Park and up to 90 per cent depending on performance-based bonuses. They have an option to make the move permanent in the summer for £40million (€47.8m, $49.5m).
Our writers -- experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance -- have come together to rate January's senior Premier League transfers. This continues the project we launched last summer, but we have also made some significant tweaks to how we assess each deal.
Gone are the five scores out of 100, and in their place are 10 ratings out of 50. This should allow for much more nuance to be reflected in the analysis and, importantly, much more variability in the overall figure each transfer ends up with. Follow the link below for more background on the changes.
Rashford's versatility is one of the reasons driving Villa's decision-making, given he can play on either flank and as a centre-forward or second striker. Additionally, Villa's system without the ball, where they revert to a compact shape instead of pressing high up the pitch, should hide Rashford's deficiencies out of possession, which brought him plenty of criticism at United.
But his in-possession fit within Unai Emery's system looks clunky.
Across his senior career, Rashford has performed the best in an inside forward role on the left, scoring 17 league goals in 2019-20 and 2022-23 when allowed to drift into spaces within or just outside the left side of the box. This was why he excelled ahead of left back Luke Shaw and could do so with Lucas Digne, who makes similar overlapping runs, too.
The issue for Rashford is that Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey have made the left-sided role, where Emery requires a No 10, their own with strong performances.
In contrast, Leon Bailey has struggled all season on the right, presenting opportunities for both Rashford and fellow new signing Donyell Malen, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund. But Rashford's performances on the right flank this season and in the past have shown that he inevitably ends up drifting into central areas or to his preferred left wing, which would complicate Villa's system. Rashford's preference for inward runs clashes with Emery's requirement from his right wingers to hold their width and stretch defences.
Down the middle, Rashford could play alongside Ollie Watkins, but two right-footed strikers could hurt Villa's balance, even if both use their left foot to a decent degree. They are both excellent channel runners, though, which could produce quality opportunities, especially in transition.
All of that suggests Rashford might be best suited to a bench role, deputising for the forwards and targeting tired legs, quite like Jhon Duran did earlier this season. But Villa's financial commitment could lead to pressure to start him.
There is plenty for Emery to figure out.
Rashford has been consistently available over the last two-and-a-half seasons apart from a few muscular issues in 2022-23 and a long-term shoulder injury that disrupted his 2021-22 campaign.
A lack of playing time under Ruben Amorim after his comments on wanting a new challenge has hurt Rashford's value. Although a loan move for a player who completed a 17-goal league season not long ago is good business on paper for Villa.
Rashford's loan move includes an option to buy for £40m, which makes sense for all parties involved. The 27-year-old's future at Old Trafford looked uncertain before this move and should he perform well, Villa will get a forward with some of his peak years left for a reasonable price.
Rashford managed seven goals and three assists in 23 matches across all competitons before his near two-month absence and is United's joint third-highest scorer (alongside Rasmus Hojlund).
United have struggled with and without him, though. They were 13th after his last Premier League game - a 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest in December - and remain 13th after the weekend's 2-0 home loss to Crystal Palace.
The departures of Jaden Philogene, Jhon Duran and Emi Buendia leave gaps in Villa's attack, even with the arrival of Malen this month. Rashford, who can play across the frontline, bolsters their depth with the team fighting for a top four league finish and into the Round of 16 in the Champions League.
Rashford's arrival signals the shift in status Villa have enjoyed in recent years, with the club a more attractive proposition than before given their status as a Champions League team and top-four contender. There are doubts over whether Emery can get the best out of him in the short term and how he fits into the dressing room, but this signing is bound to excite fans.
A loan deal which will see Villa cover around 75 per cent of Rashford's £325,000-per-week salary is a massive investment. Should Rashford do well, Villa have a reasonably-priced option to buy a player who has proved he can deliver in the Premier League.
Not many teams were clamouring for Rashford's signature in this window, but this is still a signing that will make Villa's rivals sit up and take notice.
Rashford is inarguably one of Villa's most high-profile arrivals in recent history but that comes with media scrutiny. If he gets off to a strong start, Villa's marketing team will be a busy bunch.