Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer were encouraged by Marcus Rashford on his debut for Aston Villa after leaving Man Utd before the transfer deadline.
The England international swapped Old Trafford for Villa Park in the January transfer window after falling down the pecking order under Ruben Amorim at Man Utd.
Amorim left Rashford out of all but one matchday squad after their 2-1 win over Man City in the Manchester Derby in December, with the forward admitting he was ready for a “new challenge” if it came his way.
Man Utd boss Amorim revealed that Rashford’s performances in training were below par and even claimed he’d rather select goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital over the 27-year-old.
That led Aston Villa sealing a late loan move for Rashford before the transfer deadline with the Villans possessing a £40m option to make the transfer permanent in the summer window.
Rashford came on as a second half substitute for Aston Villa as they beat Tottenham 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday with the Man Utd loanee coming off the bench for 23 minutes.
And former strikers Shearer and Lineker were pleased to see Rashford look decent after entering the Villa Park pitch on 67 minutes.
Lineker said on The Rest Is Football Podcast: “I thought Rashford looked lively. He had a couple of good runs, a nice little nutmeg was a threat down that left-hand side.
“Hopefully, this is the little bolt that he needs and getting back playing well again, because there’s so much talent in there.”
Shearer replied: “It has to be, Gaz. Again, I said it’s like last chance saloon. He’s been given another opportunity at a football club with the top manager who wants to get the best out of him.
“And it’s up to him now, but he made a good start today when he come on as a substitute. I thought he had a bit about him.”
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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery commented on the performances of all his new signings with the Spaniard impressed by Rashford and Marco Asensio.
Emery said: “Andres Garcia and [Donyell] Malen both played in the idea we had.
“They were consistent and focused. As well, Marcus Rashford and Asensio, we watched their skill and how they helped us and will help us again in the next months in the different competitions we will face.
“We are in a new way after the changes we did. We are demanding because we still need to improve due to some tactical issues and how we want to compete in the Premier League.”
