We are still in the early stages of what might only be a very brief spell at Aston Villa for Marcus Rashford, and the on-loan Manchester United forward has not yet even cracked the starting line-up on a regular basis.
But the 27-year-old – who is in line for a first England cap in a year as the Three Lions prepare for World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia – has already made a tangible impact for his new side, one that appears to have been felt as much inside the dressing room as on the pitch.
"I can see it straight away, when he is training, when he is playing, the confidence he has got, the things he is trying and he is a joy to play with and a joy to work with,” Morgan Rogers said of Rashford after the pair were called up for Thomas Tuchel’s first squad as England manager.
"He has set the fans alight and got the crowd going and he gives you that real energy, that real buzz. That's the kind of player he is and when he is showing all his capabilities and you know he is on it, that's a real problem."
Villa’s captain has had high praise for how Rashford has integrated into the Midlands side since his mid-season arrival, too.
“Both Marcus and Marco showed glimpses which have proved they are at the highest level,” John McGinn told The Mirror of loanees Rashford and Marco Asensio.
“They have maybe lost their way for certain reasons but what they’ll get from us is love and support and team-mates who will graft for them.
“We want them to be happy again. And every day that you see them, they have a smile on their face. That’s when you know footballers are happy and at their best.”
It is a sad indictment both of how United are struggling to cling to their identity as English football’s most renowned developers of homegrown talent and the deterioration of Rashford’s relationship with his boyhood club that he seems unlikely ever to feature again for the Red Devils.
After bursting on to the first-team scene as an 18-year-old almost a decade ago, he quickly became an icon of Old Trafford, the latest in a long line of academy-bred superstars to thrive at the Theatre of Dreams.
As United toiled in the early post-Ferguson years, Rashford’s emergence gave fans hope that a return to the glory days was not far away.
Those glory days seem more distant than ever now, though, and as Rashford’s form dipped over the past two seasons, he became a pariah within his own club.
He was dropped by new manager Ruben Amorim earlier this season as dubious details of ill behaviour leaked from the halls of Carrington.
It was only two seasons ago that, under Erik ten Hag, Rashford delivered the best individual campaign of his career, scoring 30 goals in all competitions.
In subsequent seasons, though, he seemed to suffer a crisis of confidence, with returns of eight goals for 2023/24 and seven this term before being shipped to Villa Park.
Since arriving with the upwardly mobile Midlanders, however, Rashford has been rejuvenated.
Benefitting from a more clearly defined role – as a left-sided attacker emboldened to threaten the half-space with his pace and directness – than he had enjoyed for some time at United, he has been an astute mid-season addition for a side with Champions League ambitions.
He hasn’t yet rediscovered the scoring touch that not so long ago saw him plunder 30 goals in a single term, having failed to notch for his temporary new team thus far.
But he has been remarkably creative, registering four assists from just 461 minutes of action across all competitions.
He has also struck up a rapid understanding with Asensio – another player on loan at Villa for the second half for the season with designs of reinvigorating a once-promising career that had stalled.
All of Rashford’s assists have been for the former Real Madrid star.
Perhaps the biggest indicator that proves Rashford has rekindled his love affair with the game since joining Villa is the fact that the supremely skilled England star is once again taking on opposing defenders with fearless abandon.
He is averaging a whopping 7.2 attempted dribbles in Premier League play for Villa this season. That’s exactly double his average with United over the first half of the campaign.
The sample size is still small, so caution is required when assessing Rashford’s return to form. His recent England recall is well deserved, though.
And his current goal drought should not concern the new Three Lions boss unduly, either. The United academy graduate has always been a dependable scorer at international level, with an impressive strike rate of 17 goals from 60 caps.
It remains to be seen whether he will stay at Villa Park beyond his current half-season loan. United reportedly want around £40 million for his permanent sale and there is said to be rival interest from Barcelona.
But if he continues to shine for Unai Emery’s side – and now with England, too – that price tag will look increasingly like great value. And from the player’s perspective, staying put will look increasingly like the smartest option.
Rashford isn’t yet quite back to his blistering best of a few years ago. But he’s on the right track.
Free from the toxicity of Old Trafford, he’s playing with a smile again.
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