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Rashford influence aided Manchester United deadline day deal for English outcast

Originally posted on We All Follow United
By Jainil Shah | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 5:15 PM ET

Jadon Sancho moved to Aston Villa from Manchester United

Jadon Sancho moved to Aston Villa on a season-long loan from Manchester United on deadline day, which brought an end to what was quite a long transfer saga which overshadowed headlines for the majority of the past few months.

Sancho moved to Old Trafford in a massive £73 million transfer, but then he struggled to earn a consistent role at M16, but now he has another chance to rejuvenate his time in the English top tier under Unai Emery.

There were multiple clubs linked with a move for the 25-year-old this summer, including the likes of Chelsea, Roma, and Napoli, but none of those aforementioned sides wanted to match his wage demands, but in the eleventh hour Villa ended up striking a deal with the chiefs at Carrington which satisfies both parties.

This transfer is seen as a fresh start for Sancho, given how he does have massive potential, but then his form has dipped significantly in recent seasons. And right now a change of environment is exactly what he needs to rediscover his attacking confidence once again.

Marcus Rashford’s influence helped Sancho seal Villa move

According to the latest report via TBR Football, Man Utd academy graduate Marcus Rashford ended up playing a key role in convincing Sancho to choose Villa Park as his destination for the season.

The now Barcelona winger spent time on loan at the Birmingham club last season, and his experience playing under Emery helped sway Sancho’s decision.

Senior transfer correspondent at TBR Football, Graeme Bailey, insists that Sancho spoke directly with Rashford before giving his go-ahead on the transfer to Aston Villa.

Villa supporters will be hoping that the winger who was once a standout performer in the Bundesliga will have a similar confidence boost during his time at Villa as that of Rashford, who had quite a successful campaign at Villa Park.

Unai Emery has gained a reputation for reviving the careers of out-of-form players, with the likes of Asensio and Rashy enjoying a successful time at Villa last season, and it does look like Sancho could end up having a similar trajectory this season. While Villa has had a difficult start to the season, we have seen how they have lacked that attacking spark in the final third, and this is exactly something that Sancho will be expected to provide to them.

Although his stint at Old Trafford was clouded by a lot of inconsistency, Sancho has shown flashes of his quality, and this is exactly what he needs to do at Villa but with a bit of consistency.

This article first appeared on We All Follow United and was syndicated with permission.

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