Unfortunately for Aston Villa fans, Marcus Rashford has now embarked on a new challenge in La Liga with Barcelona.
During his excellent loan at Villa Park during the second half of last season from Manchester United, Marcus Rashford was something of a revelation under Unai Emery.
After several indifferent years at Old Trafford, Rashford began to show the kind of performances which earned him 62 caps for England.
Rashford was a success at Aston Villa, but for one reason or another, the 27-year-old never looked likely to complete a permanent move to the club.
TBR Football previously revealed that Villa were keen to sign Rashford after his loan, but sadly that move never came to fruition.
Marcus Rashford shares his honest thoughts on his Aston Villa loan
That being said, Rashford has now spoken about his time at Villa on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast.
Speaking alongside the likes of Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, Rashford was asked about his time at Villa Park.
And all in all, Rashford only had glowing things to say about the club and his six months there, a period he seemed very grateful for.
Rashford said: “I feel like the timing of me going to Villa was like, now looking back, it was the exact time for me to do something like that.
“So I feel like the response and the reaction I got from the people at the club and the fans, it was probably what I needed on a personal level in that moment.
Marcus Rashford celebrates a goal for Aston Villa.
Photo by Aston Villa/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
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“But it’s crazy because like six months on, I feel like everything is completely different, but without having that right period in the middle, maybe I won’t be feeling how I’m feeling now.
“So yeah, I feel like just everything that happened at Villa bar the injury at the end was exactly how it was supposed to be.”
Richards then interjected: “It’s a good club Villa, isn’t it?
Rashford: “100% and I was speaking to my brothers about it and like, I remember Villa got relegated from the Prem and since then the club’s been on the up.
“So when I first went there, the atmosphere at the club’s like all positive and it was just exactly what I needed in that period.”
Aston Villa re-ignite hopes to sign Marco Asensio from Paris Saint-Germain
Although Villa have missed the chance to sign Rashford permanently after his loan spell at the club, they are now pursuing a move for Marco Asensio.
Just like Rashford, Asensio was a big hit at Villa Park, and he would certainly be an excellent addition for Emery, who’s light on numbers up top.
Games Goals Assists
Marcus Rashford 17 4 6
Marco Asensio 21 8 1
Rashford and Asensio’s numbers for Villa during their loan spells.
It was previously reported that Villa could sign Asensio for a cut-price, even if the Spaniard might have sizable wage demands when joining from PSG.
But following some interest on Villa’s part in bringing Jack Grealish back to the club, prior to his loan move to Everton, a move to sign Asensio would make a lot of sense.
And whilst Rashford seems unlikely to be part of Villa’s future, the England forward does seem very grateful for the positive influence the club have had on his trajectory.
Villa might soon lose Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United, but under Emery and Monchi, the club are in safe hands.