There will be a fair amount of exasperation at Old Trafford when Manchester United figures watch Marcus Rashford shining for Aston Villa, playing with energy, spark and dynamism that was badly missing from his game at his parent club.
Rashford has been excellent for Villa since making the temporary switch in January, and his desire to chase lost causes has been just as eye-catching as his impact with the ball at his feet. A player who looked to have lost his enthusiasm for the game at United is suddenly rejuvenated just down the M6.
There is something in the theory that too many players improve when they leave United for it to be a coincidence, but on this occasion, the blame lies almost solely with Rashford. He had given up at his boyhood club, but with a big money move in the summer now attainable and a few months to put himself in the shop window, he is catching the eye at Villa Park.
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If Rashford had put this kind of energy and effort into his games and training sessions at United, then it is abundantly clear he would still be playing for a team that needs a forward who can deliver what he is delivering for Aston Villa. But he didn't, and he was rightly ostracised as a result.
It will infuriate United supporters, as well as Ruben Amorim and his coaching staff, to see Rashford doing so well now, but the 27-year-old finding a rich vein of form isn't without its positives.
It has been suggested that Villa are already considering taking up the option to buy the forward. They will need another attacker in the summer following Jhon Duran's move to Saudi Arabia. Rashford can offer cover for Ollie Watkins, and his bright displays in the early days of his time in the Midlands have come in his preferred position off the left.
Even if Villa look elsewhere, these displays could catch the eye of other clubs. Rashford was interested in a move abroad in January and had his heart set on Barcelona, only for their financial problems to scupper any chance of a deal. That may be a problem again in the summer, but on current form he is becoming the type of player you would look to find a way to sign.
There seems to be no chance of him returning to Old Trafford. These performances have only added to the disappointment that he could not do it in a United shirt. Instead, he could become the prize asset that needs to be sold to help fund a summer overhaul under Amorim, who has made it clear since January that he still needs to sell to buy.
The attraction of selling Rashford is that as an academy graduate, every penny of a transfer fee would be considered profit under the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). United are still close to the line on PSR limits and it is for that reason that selling an academy graduate is beginning to look essential.
Bringing up upwards of £40million for Rashford would boost the transfer budget and ease those fears about breaching PSR. It could also diminish the chances of selling one of Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho.
Mainoo and Garnacho were tentatively available in January, although it would have taken an offer too good to knock back to convince United to sell. Garnacho came closest to leaving, with interest from Napoli and Chelsea, and it wouldn't be a surprise if there was interest again in the summer.
However, the need to sell will be reduced if a market for Rashford's signature develops. That's why every positive performance for Villa could end up being a positive for United.
