Unai Emery Hails ‘Fantastic’ Marcus Rashford, Emphasises Support in Aston Villa Loan Spell

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery praised Marcus Rashford’s “fantastic” performance in their 2-1 comeback victory against Chelsea on Saturday, highlighting the importance of providing the on-loan forward with the necessary support to help him rediscover his best form. Rashford, who joined Villa on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season, came off the bench at half-time and played a crucial role in the hosts’ turnaround, registering assists for both of Marco Asensio’s second-half goals.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Emery discussed his approach to coaching Rashford since his arrival at the club, saying, “Support him. Help him. Try to [make him] feel comfortable here. Try to get confidence with us. Try to work … Try to use the skills in our tactical idea. Try as well to be demanding with him in our demands as well tactically and everything. And he’s in this process.”

The Villa boss emphasised the importance of consistency and expressed his hope that Rashford will continue to play a vital role in the team’s success. “Of course he played a fantastic 45 minutes. And really this is the only thing. We want to try to be consistent through him, in our squad and in our way we are going to do [that]. But he’s going to be hopefully very, very important like today. But hopefully more and more and more. And the most important for him is try to feel comfortable here. Try to get confidence. Be here in good atmosphere with us and this is my objective,” Emery added.

Sources have informed ESPN that the loan deal between Aston Villa and Manchester United includes an option for the transfer to become permanent at the end of the campaign. Rashford’s introduction against Chelsea proved to be a turning point in the match, as he replaced Jacob Ramsey with Villa trailing 1-0 after Enzo Fernández’s first-half goal. The 27-year-old’s impact was immediate, as he set up both of Asensio’s goals to secure a crucial win for the Midlands club.

Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans acknowledged the positive influence Rashford has had on the team since his arrival, stating, “Listen, Marcus is someone, he can threaten anyone one [versus] one, even one [versus] two, he’s very important for us in the way that he plays, because he gives us something on that left-hand side. Today, every time he got the ball he was dangerous.”

The victory over Chelsea has bolstered Aston Villa’s chances of securing a Champions League spot next season, as they climbed to seventh in the Premier League table with 42 points, just one behind sixth-placed Chelsea.