Rio Ferdinand shares what he said off-air about Rashford in Aston Villa win
Marcus Rashford made Rio Ferdinand’s off-air wish come true in Aston Villa’s 3-0 victory over Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Unai Emery started Rashford as one of five changes for their Champions League last-16 second leg with the Villans already 3-1 up from the first, and the Manchester United loanee made a significant impact.
Though Villa were held in the first half, Rashford’s contribution still proved seismic as his run in behind the defence yielded a foul which saw Kyriani Sabbe red-carded, leaving Brugge with a mountain to climb.
That mountain proved too much in the second half as Emery’s side pulled clear, with Rashford setting up Marco Asensio’s second goal and Aston Villa’s third within 11 minutes, winning the tie 6-1 on aggregate.
Rashford proves Rio Ferdinand right for Aston Villa
Rashford has proven to be a player reborn since swapping Old Trafford for Villa Park in January, laying on four assists – all four of which have been for Asensio – despite being yet to notch his first Villans goal.
| Player | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists |
| Marcus Rashford | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Marco Asensio | 8 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Speaking on TNT Sports 1 after Villa’s victory (12 March), Rio Ferdinand was glad to see that Rashford is getting back to his best and displaying the attributes which make him “impossible” to contain at times.
Ferdinand said: “Me and Alan [Hutton] were speaking before about what what what do you want to see from Marcus; you want to see the old, ‘play inside to someone and run’.
“Here you go look, he gets it here to his feet, he’s looking what’s on – bang, he’s off on his bike.
“You can’t catch him when you’re doing it from a standing start. If he plays it inside and then runs, he’s almost impossible to play against as a defender.”
Aston Villa reputation rising amid Rashford revival
The complete transformation in fortunes for both Rashford and Asensio since their January moves to Bodymoor Heath will stand Emery, and Villa as a whole, in brilliant stead as they pursue future transfers.
While Asensio – on loan from Villa’s Champions League quarter-final opponents PSG – has been the standout with seven goals in eight games, he was arguably still a great player just not getting minutes.
Rashford, meanwhile, appeared to be on a continually downward spiral as his and Manchester United’s form has fallen through the floor across the past two seasons, with seemingly no way back to the top.
However, the 27-year-old is playing with a spring in his step once again and getting back to his effective best, and Villa need only use his example when pitching themselves to any new signings this summer.