Marcus Rashford has been thriving at Aston Villa since departing Manchester United on loan in the January transfer window – yet his future remains up in the air.
Sky Sports News reported Villa have not yet decided whether to take up their £40m option to turn Rashford’s temporary move into a permanent deal, despite the forward scoring three goals and adding five assists across his 15 outings in claret and blue.
Unai Emery admitted “it depends on the circumstances for now and the next weeks” while sources indicate the forward has not given up hope of joining Barcelona.
Leaving Old Trafford has uncovered the Rashford that football fans had grown accustomed to seeing in years gone by and his next opportunity to impress will arrive in a crucial clash against fellow Champions League chasers Newcastle, live on Saturday Night Football.
Rashford is facilitating his team-mates, driving with confidence at defenders and – after finally getting off the mark with a double against Preston in the FA Cup quarter-final to fire Villa to Wembley – the goals are now beginning to flood in for the 28-year-old.
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Most importantly, he is doing it with a smile on his face. So what more can Rashford do to secure a future in Birmingham?
Here, Sky Sports takes a look at his rejuvenation and outlines why Rashford’s permanent move to Villa Park should be a matter of when, not if.
How much has Marcus Rashford improved at Villa?
Sky Sports’ Will Bitibiri:
There’s no question that Marcus Rashford needed a change. At United, Rashford’s work rate and output were questioned as he slumped into a spell of poor form, but at Villa Park he has the look of a player rejuvenated. But what do the numbers say about Rashford’s turnaround?
In fewer than half the minutes he achieved for United this campaign, it’s in his creative numbers where Rashford has shown the most growth.
He is creating more than double the chances now, with 2.84 per game compared to 1.32 during his time at United this season.
Villa’s No 9 is also taking more shots now, averaging 3.26 in total compared to a previous 2.22. Alongside attempting and completing more dribbles at Villa, Rashford is having significantly more touches in the box.
Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Aston Villa’s Marcus Rashford (right) battle for the ball
Debates over his industry have also been muted by a marginal improvement in the number of duels Rashford is involved in per game.
Overthrowing Ollie Watkins
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
Ollie Watkins is on the brink of breaking Gabriel Agbonlahor’s Premier League goalscoring record for Villa, but there is one thing standing in his way: the form and impact of Rashford.
Scoring 73 goals, as well as adding 32 assists, in 178 top-flight appearances – as Watkins has done – is a tough act for any forward to follow.
Speaking on the Transfer Talk Podcast, football journalist and Aston Villa fan Sam Tighe suggests that Villa are paving the way to replace Ollie Watkins with Marcus Rashford permanently this summer.
However, Rashford is doing exactly that, and after being utilised as the ‘No 9’ for both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, it now appears he is Emery’s first choice in the role.
Numbers might not reflect his full impact on the pitch, but tune in to watch Rashford in action and you will see why.
His blistering pace to ease past defenders remains and his talents on the ball, as the swivel of his hips and composure to tee up Ezri Konsa for Villa’s third in the second leg showed, are now piecing the puzzle together once again.
Whether or not the permanent move comes to fruition remains to be seen, but Rashford is a perfect fit for this Villa side. His ability to threaten centrally, while also drifting out wide to create space for surging runs from Morgan Rogers and Marco Asensio into the box, has already paid dividends for this team.
If Villa can buy, they should.
‘The best Rashford we’ve seen in years’
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones:
Emery knows a player – it’s one of his many skills as a manager. He knows Marcus Rashford is a world-class operator on his day, hence why the on-loan Man Utd man is ousting Watkins from the Villa frontline. Emery has lit a fire under the much-talked about centre-forward.
The performance in the second leg against PSG was the best we’ve seen from Rashford for two years.
Sky Sports News’ Peter Smith analyses the impressive performance of Marcus Rashford despite Aston Villa’s exit in the Champions League to PSG.
What he produced on this stage against arguably the best team in European football was world-class in terms of output. Rashford created the most chances (4) and completed the most dribbles (4) by any player on the pitch, combining both of those aspects to perfection in setting up Konsa to send Villa Park into a frenzy of belief that the comeback of all comebacks was on.
It wasn’t meant to be eventually, as Villa’s fizzy play went flat when Rashford departed with 15 minutes to go.
“I have to congratulate Marcus Rashford – I thought he was fantastic,” said Wayne Rooney on Amazon Prime.
“His talent, his skill, his ability to provoke the opponent. I hope he goes back to Manchester United and plays like he did today. That’s what we all want to see as Manchester United fans. He wants to play for Manchester United, 100 per cent. He’s a Manchester boy, but he needed to play.”
“Rashford, in an ideal world, would want to play and leave a legacy in Manchester. I don’t know if that’s possible, but that’s what I’d like to see.”
Watch Aston Villa vs Newcastle, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, from 5pm on Saturday.
This news was originally published on this post .
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