Manchester United 'finally' offload exiled winger to Aston Villa amid Chelsea snub

The 27-year-old forward had also been linked with moves to AC Milan and Barcelona this month after falling out of favour at his boyhood club.

Rashford, who joined United at the age of seven, has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances since breaking into the first team in 2016 but has not played since December 12.

A statement read: “Aston Villa is delighted to announce the loan signing of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United. The England international, capped 60 times by the Three Lions, joins Villa on a deal until the end of the season.”

It is understood that Villa will cover at least 75 per cent of Rashford’s £300,000-plus weekly salary. That figure could reach up to 90 per cent depending on performance-based bonuses and the option to make the move permanent is reported to be £40m.

Villa have also secured an option to buy the player in the summer.

It comes following the departure of Villa striker Jhon Duran, which has left manager Unai Emery desperate to find a replacement. He had approached Chelsea for forward Joao Felix, but Chelsea are refusing to negotiate with the club as they are now contending for a Champions League spot.

Rashford’s future has dominated the headlines throughout the transfer window having admitted he was “ready for a new challenge” after being dropped for the derby against Manchester City on December 15. It now seems his appearance against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League three days earlier could turn out to be his last for United.

Rashford failed to impress new United manager Ruben Amorim, who said this week the forward “has to change” to have a future at Old Trafford.

Rashford said in a statement on Instagram: “I would like to thank Manchester United and Aston Villa for making this loan deal happen. I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me but Aston Villa was an easy decision - 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. I wish everyone at Manchester United all the best for the rest of the season.”