Marcus Rashford will not feature in Aston Villa’s final two fixtures of the season due to a lingering hamstring injury, manager Unai Emery confirmed on Thursday.
The 27-year-old forward, on loan from Manchester United, has been sidelined since last month and is now officially out of Friday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur. With Villa’s final match of the campaign being against Rashford’s parent club on 25 May, his season is effectively over.
Rashford also missed Villa’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace and his long-term future remains uncertain. While Villa have a £40 million option to sign him permanently, reports suggest the England international is keen to play Champions League football — something Villa have yet to secure for next season.
Unai Emery also revealed that midfielder Youri Tielemans will miss the Tottenham match, while Jacob Ramsey is suspended.
“Youri and Marcus are not available… Marcus can’t play next week either,” Emery said. “But they are working every day and feeling better.”
The Spurs match was rescheduled to Friday at the north London club’s request to allow extra preparation time for next week’s Europa League final in Bilbao against Manchester United. Villa expressed dissatisfaction with the switch, amid concerns that Tottenham — currently 17th in the league — might prioritise avoiding injury over competitiveness.
However, Emery expects a strong showing. “They are going to try and compete… and get the best performances to get ready for the final,” he said.
Villa, currently sixth in the table, are in a tight race with Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle for a Champions League spot. The Premier League’s top five teams will qualify for next season’s competition.
“I don’t want a holiday,” Emery said. “We are very motivated and excited. We want to achieve our European objectives. It’s not fully in our hands, but we still have a chance.”
