Jadon Sancho has sparked outrage among Manchester United supporters with a provocative one-word comment on Marcus Rashford's Aston Villa debut post on Instagram.
The 24-year-old winger wrote "Freedom" beneath Rashford's social media update, drawing fierce criticism from United fans.
Both players departed Old Trafford on loan this season after falling out with management, with their exits marked by periods of exile from the first team.
Rashford secured a loan move to Aston Villa before the January transfer deadline, with the club holding a £40m option to make the deal permanent this summer.
Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho have both left Manchester United on loan
GETTY
Sancho, meanwhile, is set to join Chelsea in a £25m permanent transfer following his current loan spell at Chelsea.
The departures of both England internationals came after significant periods away from United's first team, with their relationships with the club becoming increasingly strained.
Sancho's departure followed a public dispute with former United manager Erik ten Hag over training standards.
The £73million signing openly challenged Ten Hag on social media after the manager revealed he had been dropped from a matchday squad due to poor attitude in training.
Sancho effectively called the Dutch manager a liar and subsequently refused to apologise for his comments.
Marcus Rashford made his Aston Villa debut at the weekend
PA
The incident led to a prolonged period of exile from the first team before his eventual loan move to Dortmund and subsequently to Chelsea last summer.
Rashford faced similar issues under manager Ruben Amorim, missing 13 consecutive matches before his Villa Park switch.
The United boss expressed relief at Rashford's departure, stating he was "thankful" to offload the academy graduate.
Amorim had struggled to get his desired effort levels from Rashford in training.
The situation ultimately led to Rashford's temporary exit from Old Trafford, with Villa securing his services until the end of the season.
Rashford made his Villa debut as a substitute in Sunday's FA Cup victory against Tottenham.
Following the match, Rashford posted on Instagram thanking Villa supporters for their warm welcome.
It was under this post that Sancho left his controversial "Freedom" comment, which has been interpreted by many United fans as a dig at their parent club.
One reply read: "You must hate Man United. Calling it freedom like he was in prison."
Another wrote: "Man I hope you aren't coming back at the end of the season."
A third fumed: "Lack of attitude! Your laziness and your bad behaviours make you that flop you are today."
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