Roy Keane has questioned how Marcus Rashford will manage to ‘get his hunger back’ at Aston Villa after joining the club from Manchester United.
Rashford, who has been at Manchester United since he was a child, opted to move on in January after a bombshell interview where he revealed he wanted to depart following the arrival of Ruben Amoirm.
After scoring just seconds into Amorim’s first game at Ipswich, things went downhill quickly for the pair and their relationship appeared to be damaged beyond repair prior to the forward’s exit.
He did not play after being dropped for the Manchester derby on December 15, with Amorim calling his training standards into question and maintaining that view when asked in later weeks.
The Portuguese doubled down on the claim weeks later when he astonishingly suggested he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach instead of Rashford.
That all resulted in the 27-year-old leaving for Villa on loan, but Keane, speaking on ITV, questioned the move.
‘It is sad but has been on the cards the last year or two,’ the former Manchester United captain said. ‘Clearly they didn’t get on.
‘The strange things 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?’
Ian Wright, meanwhile, was working alongside Keane and fought Rashford’s corner.
The ex-Arsenal man suggested that a change of scenery could do him good, even if his new club is in the same league.Â
‘We know where United want to be, but he is going to a team performing better,’ Keane said. ‘We can’t disrespect Villa and what they have done.
‘If he can go there and recapture his form, he is a good player. We will see, everyone talks about body language.’
Keane, though, wasn’t having it.
‘When you lose the hunger it is hard to get it back,’ he said. ‘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 replied: ‘He has done great for United here but maybe it is time to leave,’ before Keane said: ‘I thought he’d go abroad for a new environment. He will still be based in Manchester, still have his crew around him, whatever.’
