6 hours Ago By Dale O'Donnell
Aston Villa fought hard against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals, but they lost the tie 5-4 on aggregate. Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford starred on the night.Marcus Rashford left Manchester United in January to rejuvenate his career and while that may be up for debate, the England international has had a spell enjoying the Champions League once again.
The 27-year-old has impressed Unai Emery enough to take Ollie Watkins’ role in the team and that was the case once again for both legs against Paris Saint-Germain.However, having suffered a 3-1 first-leg defeat in Paris last week, Villa found themselves 5-1 down on aggregate after Luis Enrique’s side took a 2-0 lead with goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.Former United target Youri Tielemans pulled one back for Villa before half-time before Rashford came alive in the second half.
This led to a surge of goals from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa but Villa were unable to score that goal to force extra time.Now, with Villa’s European campaign over, more questions will be asked of Rashford’s future.The possibility of a return to Old Trafford is an option, although Villa can exercise the option to sign Rashford for £40 million at the end of the season.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty ImagesUnai Emery ‘very happy’ with Marcus RashfordVilla chiefs will ask at the end of the season whether Rashford has done enough to warrant a permanent deal, but it sounds like manager Unai Emery is already convinced by the United forward.Rashford didn’t score himself against PSG, but he provided the spark that almost led Villa to one of the great Champions League comebacks against a side that could go all the way in this year’s competitions.Since his debut for Villa, Marcus Rashford has registered 5 assists in all competitions.
No Premier League player has managed more:5 — M. Rashford, M. Salah4 — B.
Fernandes3 —2 — N. Williams, E. Haaland1 — M.
MerinoBack to his best. 🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️🅰️ pic.twitter.
com/BckHgfx40z— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 15, 2025 The striker created four chances on goal and registered one assist throughout his 76 minute display, before being replaced by Watkins.Speaking to Amazon Prime during a live broadcast after the match, Emery said a decision on Rashford’s future is still to be made but he made it clear that he’s happy with the player’s performances.“It is difficult to plan it now,” Emery said.
“He [Rashford] is feeling better and he played a fantastic match.“We are very happy. If he is happy, we are happy.
It depends on the circumstances for now and the next weeks.”Emery and Rashford have more to focus on this season as they chase a top-five finish in the Premier League that will secure a return to the Champions League. In turn, that would help Villa afford a permanent deal to sign the United academy graduate.
Marcus Rashford was the man for Aston VillaComeback wins over PSG are nothing new for Rashford from his time at Manchester United.The assist was his fifth goal contribution against the Ligue 1 champions in six matches, but his most memorable goal came as a last-minute penalty for United in 2019 to send PSG out of the Champions League.GamesWinsDrawsLossesGoalsAssists630332Marcus Rashford record against PSGAlthough Rashford didn’t score this time around, or get the desired result, he had the most touches inside the opposition box (12) or any player and produced the most crosses on the pitch (nine).
Former Villa and United striker Dion Dublin highlighted the energy he showed on the pitch to make life a misery for PSG defenders.“Marcus Rashford didn’t score, but the energy levels that he had..
. he was making those defenders make mistakes,” Dublin said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “For me, he was the man of the match for Villa.
”It could’ve been argued that Villa’s tempo dropped as a result of Rashford’s substitution in the closing stages of the match, but PSG were doing well to close out the game at that stage..
