There is a lot at stake for Aston Villa on Sunday anyway. There is a technical possibility of being able to qualify for Champions League with only a draw. Counting on that, however, would be overly hopeful at best.
More than the three points, there is another aspect that is in place when Villa face Manchester United. Getting the win and hopefully seeing another result around the Premier League go Unai Emery's men's way will then allow the team to participate in the top European competition.
That will then afford the club the opportunity to be able to navigate the PSR aspects more easily. The revenue that comes with Champions League compared to Europa League is that much more significant.
When it comes to Marcus Rashford, that additional wiggle room would then either be the difference between being able to add the England international on a permanent basis or being able to then solidify other parts of the roster.
Regardless of how one looks at it, making CL is a must. There is something of a cruel sense of poetic justice that this particular fate hinges against the player's home club at Old Trafford. The football gods can have a horribly odd sense of humor after all.
With Rashford unable to play even if he were cleared from his latest injury setback, it's a wonder who he will be rooting for. While United has been his club, it is clear to see that there is not too much love lost for the side that brought him up in their academy.
Why Rashford likely is favoring Aston Villa
Instead, he has found a proper home and environment that best supports him and his talents. Watching him enjoy playing and making significant contributions for a manager in Emery who believes in him has undoubtedly been a refreshing change of pace in Rashford's career.
Having to guess, it seems somewhat obvious that Rashford will be rooting internally against his parent club. Although there are a lot of reasons to believe this, perhaps only he will ever truly know, at least for the time being.