Manchester United's Marcus Rashford scored his first two goals for Aston Villa to help his loan club beat Preston North End 3-0 and into the semi-final of the FA Cup
Comments
Sport
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: Getty Images)
Unai Emery has claimed he "doesn't want to waste time" thinking about Marcus Rashford's long-term future after another impressive performance for Aston Villa.
The 27-year-old, who joined Villa on loan from Manchester United last month, scored twice for the Midlands side as they progressed to the FA Cup semi-final with a 3-0 win at Preston North End.
Article continues below
Rashford, who hadn't found the net for almost four months prior to Villa's trip to Deepdale, netted his first in the 58th minute, slotting into the bottom corner after Lucas Digne's cutback. Five minutes later, Rashford had his second, converting from the penalty spot after Morgan Rogers was hauled down.
As a reward for his performance, Rashford was named the Player of the Match. He received a standing ovation by the Villa fans after he was substituted late on, and has no doubt found a new lease of life since his move from United. He now has six direct goal contributions in 10 matches for Villa.
And Villa have a £40million option to buy Rashford at the end of his loan spell in June. However, Emery has admitted that he hasn't made a decision on whether or not Villa will turn his loan into a permanent deal, as he instead shifted his attention to Villa's Premier League game against Brighton on Wednesday.
"Not yet," said Emery when asked if a decision on Rashford had been made. "The most important thing is the challenge now and this afternoon, recovering and then preparing for the match against Brighton tomorrow.
"Still there are a lot of matches to play. If we are in the Champions League, if we are in the Europa League, if we are in the European Conference League or not in Europe or winning a trophy, it is completely different.
"A decision about each individual players… it is to get the best of them and the best of us. We don’t want to waste time thinking about it."
Marcus Rashford scored twice for Aston Villa against Preston North End
Marcus Rashford scored twice for Aston Villa against Preston North End
Rashford, meanwhile, spoke post-match to BBC after firing Villa to the semi final of the FA Cup for the first time since 2014/15. "It's a great feeling," he said.
"I feel like I've slowly been getting fitter and playing better football since I’ve been here. So, it’s obviously nice for a forward to always get goals. Hopefully it continues."
Asked how close he is to being back to his best, Rashford added: "Step by step I think I can still get fitter. I’ve missed a lot of football before joining up. At the minute my body feels good and I’m injury free and just enjoying my football. So, all good for now."
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.