Marcus Rashford has congratulated Aston Villa on their Europa League victory. The Manchester United forward, currently on loan at Barcelona, took to social media after Villa defeated SC Freiburg 3-0 to lift the trophy in Istanbul.
End of a 30-Year Wait
That victory ended a 30-year wait for major honours and has produced an outpouring of emotion among the club's fans and players – and admiration for their manager Unai Emery. The Spaniard has even been celebrated by former club Sevilla, with whom he won the competition three times from 2014-16, who sent their own message.
Rashford, who spent the second half of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Villa Park, has done likewise, writing on his Instagram story: 'Congratulations to all of my friends and the coaches at Villa UTV'.
Rashford's Loan Journey
Rashford has been on the fringes at United for the last 18 months, with Ruben Amorim sending him to Villa on loan in January 2025, where he scored four times in 17 games and did well enough for there to be talk of a permanent deal. As Villa's spending constraints became apparent, that never materialised, and Rashford was instead loaned to Barcelona for the whole of this term.
The 28-year-old is said to be keen on staying at Barca, and it has been claimed their head coach Hansi Flick has given the green light for that to happen. However, Rashford continues to be speculatively connected with a return to Villa as they prepare for next season's Champions League campaign.
Celebrate Villa's Triumph
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