Marcus Rashford has not played for Manchester United since December 12 after being exiled by head coach Ruben Amorim. PA
Marcus Rashford has not played for Manchester United since December 12 after being exiled by head coach Ruben Amorim. PA
Marcus Rashford has not played for Manchester United since December 12 after being exiled by head coach Ruben Amorim. PA
Marcus Rashford has not played for Manchester United since December 12 after being exiled by head coach Ruben Amorim. PA

Marcus Rashford ‘just wants to play’ after sealing Aston Villa loan


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Marcus Rashford said he "just wants to play" football after sealing a loan move to Aston Villa for the remainder of the season.

Rashford has been frozen out of Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim's first-team plans and has not played for the Red Devils since appearing in the Europa League group phase against Viktoria Plzen on December 12.

The 27-year-old forward, who joined United at the age of seven, has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances had also been linked with moves to AC Milan and Barcelona this month.

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 Villa have the option to make the transfer permanent in the summer for a reported £40 million.

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.

Amorim has been highly critical of Rashford's performance and attitude since replacing Erik ten Hag in November. The Portuguese said last 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.”

Rashford may not be the only arrival at Villa ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline with attacking midfielder Marco Asensio undergoing a medical before joining on loan from manager Unai Emery’s former club Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea’s Joao Felix and Axel Disasi have been of interest, but Villa appear to have been priced out. They are looking to bring in a defender on deadline day.

United unveiled new signings Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven, signed from Lecce and Arsenal respectively, before Sunday's 2-0 Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace.

Tyrell Malacia could follow Rashford and Antony in making an exit before Monday’s deadline, with Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel and Chelsea striker Christopher Nkunku possible options under consideration.

The specs

Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder

Transmission: 7-speed auto

0-100kmh 2.3 seconds

0-200kmh 5.5 seconds

0-300kmh 11.6 seconds

Power: 1500hp

Torque: 1600Nm

Price: Dh13,400,000

On sale: now

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo

Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic

Power: 242bhp

Torque: 370Nm

Price: Dh136,814

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Drishyam 2

Directed by: Jeethu Joseph

Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy

Rating: 4 stars

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

TWISTERS

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos

Rating: 2.5/5

Overview

Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu

Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal

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Tips for used car buyers
  • Choose cars with GCC specifications
  • Get a service history for cars less than five years old
  • Don’t go cheap on the inspection
  • Check for oil leaks
  • Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
  • Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
  • Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
  • Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
  • If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell

Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com

Updated: February 03, 2025, 6:15 AM