Credit: Imago

Villa News Speaking to Ian Darke

Thu 27 March 2025 11:09, UK

Aston Villa have pulled off a major coup with the arrival of Marco Asensio from Paris Saint-Germain in the winter transfer window.

The playmaker is returning to Bodymoor Heath after international duty with Spain, as one of a huge clutch of Unai Emery’s squad to have flown across the globe to pull on their native colours.

With seven goals since his arrival, Asensio has been nothing short of a revelation, and will be massively important as Villa continue to fight on three fronts this season.

Asensio ready to face parent club in Champions League

After Aston Villa breezed past Club Brugge in the first knockout round of the Champions League and PSG eliminated Liverpool on penalties, the two were pitted together in the quarter-finals.

Of course, this now means Asensio will face Luis Enrique’s side, who sanctioned his temporary departure to the Premier League.

And it means what it says – Asensio will ‘face’ PSG. As UEFA rules stipulate, players are in fact allowed to feature against parent clubs while on loan as they are only recognised as registered as part of one club’s submitted squad list.

It adds fuel to an already fiery tie in prospect next month, and regular Champions League TV commentator Ian Darke has spoken volumes of how vital the Spaniard is to reaching the semis as underdogs.

“They’re going to need Asensio. We saw how good PSG were against Liverpool in the last round – there’s no question that Villa are big underdogs,” Darke exclusively told Villa News.

“Asensio’s eye for goal and conversion rate show an electric start, and they’re going to need him against his parent club – that home leg will be massive for them at Villa Park. They’ve really picked a golden pluck from the tree with him.

“And it was a great double deal they did really, because there’s also Marcus Rashford who has gone from a footballing Siberia to the England squad in a matter of weeks.”

Emery still launching triple-pronged Aston Villa attack

Emery is in a challenging but rewarding position of still having three competitions in which to do battle.

Aston Villa head to Preston North End in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday (30 March), a massive opportunity for a Wembley semi-final given Preston are the last remaining side in the competition outside the Premier League.

While the FA Cup and Champions League provide potential pathways into European qualification for next season – something Villa rely heavily upon for revenue purposes – they still have work to do in the league to attempt to claw a spot in the top five.