Can Marcus Rashford make his Aston Villa debut this weekend?
Marcus Rashford looks set for a return to action following his move to Aston Villa
Marcus Rashford's January transfer saga was undoubtedly the biggest story to come from a largely quiet transfer window for many Premier League sides.
His eventual loan move to Aston Villa on February 2nd capped off an impressive window for the Champions League side, who also added established names such as Donyell Malen, Axel Disasi and Marco Asensio before the window closed.
Confirmation of the deal brought an end to almost two months of ostracisation from the Manchester United squad by manager Ruben Amorim, who frequently suggested Rashford was not conducting himself in a way he saw fit for the future of his side.
Can Marcus Rashford make his debut this weekend?
The 27-year old England international has not played a single minute since a 4-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford in December, in which he scored two goals, and remains the Red Devil's third-highest scorer in the league this season despite the two-month sobatical.
Rashford is expected to walk straight into the starting lineup at Villa Park, with manager Unai Emery believed to view the forward as one of the best players in Europe following his move, according to The Athletic.
Eyes will surely be focussed on each Aston Villa game from now until the end of the season, such is the media frenzy that has followed Rashford for most of his career, with plenty of speculation around when he might make his debut.
Emery's side host Tottenham in the FA Cup this weekend, looking to capitalise on the Lilywhites' poor form of late, with Rashford widely expected to be involved in some capacity.
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The forward's removal from the United squad saw him miss the third-round win over Arsenal, meaning the player is not cup-tied and can feature for Aston Villa should the manager see fit.
Widespread reports also suggest Rashford has been hard at work to maintain sharpness while away from the action, further suggesting that an appearance of some description could be on the card.
Rashford is no stranger to FA Cup success, having lifted the famous trophy twice so far in his career, most recently in last season's triumph over Manchester City at Wembley.
The wide-man has 14 goal involvements in the competition across his career so far, with a limping Tottenham side offering a genuine opportunity to increase that number over the weekend.
James Ridge is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He recently spent time with The United Stand as an online news editor and has covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier all the way to the Premier League.