Roy Keane agrees with Ruben Amorim as Man Utd eye Marcus Rashford swap deal

Manchester United are eyeing up a summer swoop for Ollie Watkins, which could see Marcus Rashford head the other way, with Roy Keane among those to praise the Aston Villa striker

Manchester United are eyeing up a potential swap deal involving Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins this summer. The Aston Villa frontman has impressed for several years with Roy Keane among his admirers.

Watkins has stepped up from the Championship to become one of the Premier League’s most potent finishers – and that has caught the attention of the elite clubs. Arsenal made a late play to land the Villa frontman in January, but ultimately missed out.

The England international has continued to score regularly, firing 43 times in the last two full seasons, with United looking to use Rashford and his future to their advantage. He is currently on loan at Villa and proving a big hit – starting ahead of Watkins on occasion.

With summer approaching, United are ready to test Villa’s resolve. The Daily Star understand that Old Trafford chiefs would consider offering Rashford plus a significant cash payment in exchange for Watkins. The loanee is spending the second half of the season at the Midlands outfit, who have a £40million option to buy him permanently.

Unai Emery has taken a real shine to the Manchester loanee and his faith in Rashford has been at Watkins’ expense, with the striker only starting one of Villa’s previous six games before they hosted Newcastle on Saturday.

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim’s dream Man Utd XI next season with Ollie Watkins and £100m-rated starREAD MORE: Unai Emery’s £65m snub pays off but furious Aston Villa star makes feelings clear

Watkins needed just minutes to score as he returned to the fold with Villa beating the Magpies 4-1 before confessing he was frustrated to have been overlooked in recent weeks – and didn’t shy away in telling his manager after he was snubbed before PSG. “I let [Emery] know that. He’s the manager at the end of the day. I respect his decision. But I’m not one of the players happy to sit on the bench,” he said.

Keane is known to be an admirer of the Villa striker – and equally has been critical of the current options in United’s frontline with their lack of goals a glaring issue.

The Irishman previously said on Sky Sports: “He could play for one of the top teams, couldn’t he? Villa are a top team but you’re talking about bigger clubs in Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City. That’s a compliment to him, not that he has to leave Villa. But he’s capable of doing it. The kid is so sharp. He has a great shape to him. His movement is as good as any striker in the Premier League. He’s having an amazing season.”

Jhon Duran was previously presenting competition for Watkins before his big-money move to Saudi Arabia. Rashford is now taking his minutes with Villa’s summer likely to be determined by whether they qualify for the Champions League again with several clubs hotly-contesting the top five spots.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.