It has come earlier than anyone expected.
Marcus Rashford’s ultimate goal would have been a return to the England setup after a year away, in turn signalling a touchpoint in his career rehabilitation. Aston Villa and Unai Emery view themselves as Rashford’s key rejuvenator, stripping back what had become a messy, noisy period at Manchester United and giving him a much simpler life, on and off the pitch, in the Midlands.
Following his arrival and Emery’s initial press conference, Villa made it clear they would not entertain the constant cycle of speculation around Rashford. They did not want a disproportionate number of questions about him to continue after his debut and for the player, it is no coincidence he has done few interviews and few pictures are posted on the club’s social media accounts. Villa, and specifically his public relations team, are mindful of treading gingerly when attracting broader attention.
Goodwill is obvious inside Villa Park and Bodymoor Heath. Rashford’s name is often cheered the loudest over the tannoys and the sense of anticipation whenever he receives the ball is audible. Emery truly believes Rashford, on his day, is among the world’s best attackers. In deciding to circle the wagons in late January and pursue the 27-year-old’s loan signing, Emery took it upon himself to recalibrate Rashford back to health.
The Athletic’s report that Rashford was to be named in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad ahead of two World Cup qualifying fixtures against Albania and Latvia is an unexpected surprise. His team-mate Morgan Rogers was far likelier, owing to a period of sustained and improving form. Rogers is Emery’s greatest pet project since joining Villa.
Rashford will return to the England squad for the upcoming international break (Matthew Mirabelli/AFP via Getty Images)
Emery identified Rogers as a ball-carrying No 10, creating an attacking structure that aimed to get the 22-year-old between the lines and driving at defenders as much as possible. In some ways, he has tried to do similar with Rashford, although it is early days in the process.
In essence, Rashford’s arrival has offered the most discernible shift to Villa’s usual formation. Ordinarily, Emery wants his left winger to serve as a left No 10, drifting inside the pitch while the left-back overlaps.
This is shown here, with Jacob Ramsey moving inside the pitch and left-back Lucas Digne providing width.
With Rashford, however, Emery was unequivocal in his opinion that his best role was in the inside left channel, running behind the opponent’s backlines. His role in Kyriani Sabbe’s sending-off in the second leg against Club Brugge, where Rashford was fouled chasing onto Emiliano Martinez’s clipped pass, was a representative case.
“Preferably, his best position is on the left, running from there,” explained Emery when asked what he felt Rashford’s best position was. “He can play as a second striker from the left and sometimes he’s played from the right. But preferably, we are preferring with him to play on the left side.”
Rashford’s movement away from the ball and in wider positions is in stark contrast to alternatives in the position, such as Ramsey. This has altered Villa’s structure, with the left-back (Ian Maatsen) now tasked with inverting into a No 10 position, attempting to create space for Rashford to receive wide on the left.
The Manchester United loanee is yet to score for Villa. He has floated in and out of games, starting just once in the Premier League and being introduced in the second half of matches on four other occasions. He has appeared loose in possession at times, switched off defensively at others — namely for Trent Alexander-Arnold’s strike at Villa Park — but there is a feeling that Rashford’s restoration is a process and, encouraged by flashes of excellence, he has been pushed on to keep taking risks with the ball.
Villa staff accept Rashford is a manager-led signing, a player who Emery was so enamoured with very few could, or would, have pushed back on. The only question was whether the club could make it work financially, paying somewhere between 75 per cent to 90 per cent of his salary, dependent on performance-related bonuses, which is upwards of £320,000 per week.
Ultimately, despite a treacherous period in Manchester, he still retains the power to make a telling impact on matches. All four of his assists have been for Marco Asensio, Villa’s other marquee winter signing, to score, teed up in a similar manner.
Rashford has a switch where he can go from walking pace to making short, ruthless bursts down the left channel, pulling the ball back for Asensio. His movement is sharp but his overall game still has scope for improvement.
Tuchel, like Emery, must view the glimpses of Rashford returning to somewhere near his optimal as the critical factor. He does not start every Villa match yet — in part owing to how noticeably he changes the team’s shape and improving fitness — though the small sample size of minutes has shown he can still hurt most defences. Emery’s job has been to restore confidence and clarity in Rashford’s mind and, so far, is on track. An England call-up would undoubtedly help further.
Rashford knows a return to the international fold can only be the next stage of a career renaissance he has started, steadily, at Villa.
(Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
