Marcus Rashford is a massive risk for Aston Villa, says Jamie Redknapp | OneFootball

Jamie Redknapp has warned Aston Villa that a move for Marcus Rashford could prove to be detrimental for the club.

The Villans are on the brink of signing the talented forward on loan with an option to buy included in the deal.

The latest update from Fabrizio Romano is that Rashford will undergo a medical on Sunday before completing his transfer to Aston Villa.

Manager Unai Emery is a huge admirer of the 27-year-old and is said to have contacted the player personally for a move to Villa Park.

However, former Liverpool star Redknapp isn’t entirely convinced the transfer will be a success. He labels the forward “a massive risk”, saying a move could be detrimental if he doesn’t gel in Emery’s system.

“When you look at it, we are going back to 2022-23, which was a fantastic season for him.” Redknapp said on Sky Sports.

“But when you look at the last two years, and two years is a long time in football, It wasn’t a case of him being injured. Some of the clips of him strolling around went viral, I remember there was one against Luton when the ball was there and he was just jogging.

“You can’t do that when you’re a star player at Man United, you’ve got to be the man that’s going to lead from the front.

“You can talk about potential all day long but he is not a kid anymore. If this move happens for him it will be an unbelievable one, perhaps more than what he deserves right now because Villa’s a massive club.

“But it will be an opportunity to get his career going again, because that’s what he has got to do.

“No one else can do it, it’s not up to Unai Emery, It’s not up to Aston Villa, it’s up to Marcus Rashford to go and put himself back out there as a player again.”

He continued: “Marcus Rashford is a massive risk. Take away his talent, if he comes in and doesn’t want to perform or doesn’t buy into the environment, it can be detrimental too.

“He is too good a talent to waste. Shutting everyone up should be on his mind. If that’s not enough to go on, what is?”

Rashford is one of the best players to come out of United’s academy. In 426 appearances across all competitions, he has scored an incredible 138 goals.

His best campaign at Old Trafford came in 2022-23 when he scored 30 goals in 56 total appearances.

However, the England international’s levels have massively dropped since then. This season, he has scored only seven goals and given three assists in 24 matches in all competitions.

There is no doubt that Rashford is a top talent who can be a huge success for Villa. But right now, he is low on confidence and his attitude has also been questioned at times.

Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Emery can get the best out of him at Villa.