Unai Emery made a clear admission on Monday that Marcus Rashford is in his plans for next season, as the Aston Villa boss revealed playing the Utd loanee alongside Ollie Watkins is “the next step.”
Pressed on whether he’d be tempted to start the pair against PSG, the Spaniard dropped a clear hint that he doesn’t just see Rashford as a short-term solution.
Given that Villa reportedly hold a £40 million option to buy, the Spaniard may be laying the groundwork for a permanent move in the summer.
Trailing 3-1 on aggregate after the first leg in Paris, Villa face an uphill battle at Villa Park as they seek to overturn the deficit and book their place in the semi-finals for the first time in over four decades.
Despite the pressing need for an attacking approach, Emery has rejected calls to start England internationals Watkins and Rashford together, stating he won’t “test the partnership… in a match of this magnitude.”
The Parisians’ flowing football carved his side open at times, and yet it looked like they’d survived the worst of it despite goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Morgan Rogers’ 35th-minute equaliser may prove to be worth its weight in gold should the Villans complete a turnaround, but it feels like it was rendered academic by Nuno Mendes’ injury-time strike.
Still, Emery was in a positive mood as he talked up a historic comeback in Monday’s press conference.
“We believe in our supporters, in our momentum, and in our structure. We want to write a new chapter in Aston Villa’s European history,” he said.
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Continuing on the subject of unleashing a two-man attack featuring Rashford, Emery said: “The next step, if I have time, is to play them together.”
“We’ve tried Rashford on the left side before, but now both are more suited to central roles. I want to test that partnership, but not now – not in a match of this magnitude without proper preparation.”
Rashford, currently on loan from Man Utd, has begun to find his rhythm again recently, scoring three goals and showing signs of the explosive pace and directness we saw in his earlier years at Old Trafford.
He capably lead the line on a couple of ocassions in the absence of Watkins, who recently returned from a minor knee injury to take his Villa goals tally to 15 for the season.
Despite their clear individual qualities, Emery was keen to stress that building chemistry between forwards takes time.
“In matches like this, every detail matters. Every player needs to understand their task – emotionally, tactically, and structurally.
“We’ve built this run through balance and discipline, and I won’t compromise that in search of something we haven’t tested.”
Although Emery’s comments may have been about tactics, they also echoed a deeper belief that Rashford may line up at Villa Park again next season.
Finding a way past PSG in the Champions League and securing European Football again next season may prove crucial in capturing his signature.
