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Stan Collymore sends warning to Marcus Rashford after forward's move to Aston Villa
Marcus Rashford's loan move from Manchester United to Aston Villa was one of the headline acts of the January transfer window, but Villa's new number nine has been warned by Stan Collymore that it won't be an easy ride at Villa Park.
Rashford, has spent his whole career under the glare of Old Trafford, and moves to the Midlands after falling out with boss Ruben Amorim. However, Collymore exclusively told DAZN News, thanks to William Hill Vegas, that the hard work starts now and there will be huge expectations of him in a Villa shirt.
"I've suggested for quite some time that Marcus Rashford needs to get away from Manchester United," Collymore said.
"He's been there, what, 15 years, and doesn't know anything else. So, I think that when you go from a club like Manchester United, the temptation is to think that anywhere else is going to be easier. And I feel it's actually going to be harder at Villa.
"Villa are in the Champions League. It's a grand old club. A traditional and historically successful club. Villa have been competitive on and off for a long, long time. And so, Villa fans expect a level of commitment and performance. Every bit as much as Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, do. And you can feel it when you go into the ground.
"There are times against Celtic, 2-0 and cruising, gets back to 2-2, and players like Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins, fans are starting to get on their back - and that's in the context of Villa doing really well.
"So, Marcus has to hit the ground running. His first half a dozen games, he needs to refresh, smile, make the optics look particularly good in terms that he's happy to be there. Get the ball, get on those players.
"I think if he does the basics very well, then he can have a successful loan period. And then he'll decide whether he's got a future at Manchester United or not down the line.
"I'm cautiously optimistic, but with the caveat that he needs to realise that if he thinks that he's taking a step down, and it's going to be easier, he's going to find it ten times harder."
Unai Emery's side were one of the most active clubs in the winter window, also bringing in Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi, but it was the departure of Jhon Duran that raised some eyebrows.
The Colombian had been in explosive form this season, but joined Saudi Pro side Al Nassr in a £64 million deal. Asked about his exit, Collymore believes the 21-year-old wasn't ready to start games and was a situation waiting to explode.
Adding: "I think that Duran was just a maverick that was going to explode at some point. He felt that he should be playing games. He was nowhere near ready.
"He can't lead the line yet, and I've seen quite a lot of him. He's better coming off the bench and doing something reactive than actually building. You know, it remains to be seen whether he'll actually learn anything in terms of the basics of his game.Getty
"Hopefully, Cristiano Ronaldo can pull him to the side and say, look, you're doing this wrong, you're doing that wrong. Try doing this, try doing that. I hope so, for his sake, because there's undoubtedly talent in there."
