Roy Keane and Ian Wright have found themselves at odds over Marcus Rashford’s loan spell at Aston Villa from Manchester United. The Red Devils’ homegrown star wrapped up an unexpected switch to Unai Emery’s squad in the January transfer window, amidst rumours of interest from football giants Barcelona and Juventus.
This move comes on the heels of Rashford falling out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, with his last game for United being the 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen on December 12.
Rashford is slated to possibly make his first appearance for Villa in their FA Cup fourth-round clash against Tottenham, due to kick off at 5.35pm on Sunday. The 27-year-old also has the opportunity to showcase his talents in the Champions League, as Villa has secured a spot in the round of 16 come March.
However, Keane has expressed scepticism about whether transferring within the Premier League could jumpstart Rashford’s flagging career. The former United captain shared his thoughts on ITV, wondering how a switch to Villa could offer a new spark when Rashford seemed to have lost his edge at United.
“It is sad but has been on the cards the last year or two. Clearly they didn’t get on,” he observed. “The strange thing is I thought he’d go abroad for a new adventure, but to go to Villa surprised me. If he has lost the hunger at United, how is he going to get it at Aston Villa?”
Conversely, Wright, the ex-Arsenal striker, took a different angle in defending Rashford, highlighting that Aston Villa are currently surpassing United in both domestic league standings and European competition.
“We know where United want to be, but he is going to a team performing better,” Wright commented, not wishing to undervalue Aston Villa’s achievements. “We can’t disrespect Villa and what they have done.”
The pundit also noted the potential for revitalisation saying: “If he can go there and recapture his form, he is a good player. We will see, everyone talks about body language.”
Keane, never one to hold back, joined the discussion with a frank assessment of ambition. “When you lose the hunger it is hard to get it back,” he hit back.
“You can’t compare Aston Villa to Man United. How can he have the hunger there if he doesn’t have it at United?”
Wright maintained his stance on change being beneficial. “He has done great for United here but maybe it is time to leave,” Wright argued.
Keane doubled down on his viewpoint, suggesting a different kind of fresh start would be more suitable for the player in question. “I thought he’d go abroad for a new environment,” Keane asserted.
“He will still be based in Manchester, still have his crew around him, whatever.”
This article originally appeared on the MEN