Cristiano Ronaldo once admitted that ‘special’ Aston Villa target had ‘very great potential’
Aston Villa have finally woken up in the transfer window.
After weeks of doing little to nothing this summer, Villa completed the signing of Evann Guessand last week.
The former Nice striker comes into Villa Park on the back of an excellent season in Ligue 1, where he will be aiming to repeat this success.
However, Unai Emery isn’t done here, with Villa said to be targeting another attacker before the end of the window.
With plenty of players on the shortlist, Cristiano Ronaldo’s words may have an impact on Emery’s eventual decision.
Cristiano Ronaldo once saw Marco Asensio as a potential successor
Marco Asensio has been linked with a return to Villa in recent days.
The PSG star joined the Birmingham outfit on loan for the latter half of the 2024/25 campaign, where he impressed.
Looking back on Asensio’s career, the Spaniard has been a success at multiple clubs across Europe.
The 29-year-old played nearly 300 times for Real Madrid, playing with the likes of Ronaldo and Gareth Bale and helped the capital club lift the Champions League on three separate occasions.
- Asensio played 286 times for Real Madrid, winning numerous trophies
- The 29-year-old spent nine years at the Spanish club before departing as a free agent
Back in 2017, Ronaldo once touted Asensio to be his successor.
When asked by TNT Sports on August 24, 2017, who could replace him and Lionel Messi in the future, Ronaldo said: “That is a very good question.”
“I see some with great potential: Asensio, Mbappe, Neymar, Dembele, Hazard, Rashford … and some others. In the next generation, there are at least 10 players with very, very great potential.”
Should Villa re-sign Asensio?
There is no doubt that Asensio was brilliant at Aston Villa during his short time at the Birmingham club.
However, what made the deal good was the fact that the Spaniard was only at Villa Park for a short period of time.
On a permanent deal, Emery could be held hostage by Asensio’s large wage demands and a lengthy contract.
This could be particularly concerning given that he is set to hit 30 years old later this season, with the attacker clearly on the decline.
| Stats from the 2024/25 campaign per 90 mins | Marco Asensio |
| Non-penalty goals | 0.39 |
| Assists | 0.28 |
| Shots | 3.21 |
| Progressive carries | 2.60 |
| Success take-ons | 0.94 |
| Touches in the opposition box | 4.54 |
On top of this, the Spaniard’s only impactful play came in front of goal. However, outside of cup competitions, Asensio struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
Therefore, the signing of Asensio could prove to be a big risk for Emery.
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