‘The wonder kid’ - De Gea backs Rashford to make history with Aston Villa

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has backed his ex-teammate Marcus Rashford to succeed at his new club, Aston Villa.

Rashford, joined Villa on a loan deal until the end of the 2024/25 campaign, with the club holding an option to make the move permanent for £40m in the summer.

The England international posted two photographs of himself in Aston Villa gear on Instagram, thanking Manchester United and Aston Villa for making the loan deal happen.

De Gea who played with Rashford 294 times at Old Trafford gave the 27-year-old a new nickname, "The Wonder Kid".

He said, "The Wonder Kid". The nickname reveals the close relationship between the two players despite De Gea's departure from Manchester United in the summer of 2023.

The former Manchester United goalkeeper, now playing for Fiorentina in Serie A, has always been a huge supporter of Rashford.

In 2016, he backed Rashford to "make history" at Manchester United, praising the England international.

He said, "It's unbelievable, no? This player is really young and he's scored many goals. Hopefully, for many years, he'll be in this club and can make history for the club as well."

"He's a shy guy, he is a really good lad and a good team-mate. He's a really good guy,” he told Sky Sports.

Rashford's loan move to Aston Villa is seen as a fresh start for the player, who has struggled to find consistency at Manchester United since the arrival of a new coach.

According to reports, Aston Villa will cover a minimum of 75% of Rashford's wages, with the potential for up to 90% when performance-based bonuses are considered.

Rashford's first appearance for his new club could come on Sunday, February 9, when Unai Emery's side take on Tottenham in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Villa Park.