Marcus Rashford assisted twice against Chelsea. (Image: Getty)
is enjoying his new lease on life as an player, free of the weight on his shoulders that naturally accompanied being the poster boy of in crisis. The 27-year-old loanee notched up his first goal contributions at Villa Park on Saturday evening, helping down 2-1 in the .
Enzo Fernandez fired the visitors ahead in the early stages before Marco Asensio produced a match-winning second-half brace.
Rashford, the Spaniard’s fellow January loan arrival, came off the bench at half-time to supply the assist for both goals.
The former United No. 10 admitted upon joining that it was a short-term agreement, suggesting he is eyeing a new challenge away from English football at the end of the season.
But he has wasted no time in endearing himself to his new fans, and ex-Red Devils goalkeeper Ben Foster has noticed a change in his behaviour.
Foster has called for calm among those quickly marking Rashford’s move to the Midlands as a masterstroke after four matches.
However, he likes what he’s seeing, explaining on his Fozcast podcast: “I still think it’s a little bit too early to jump on the bandwagon.
“I think everybody’s buzzing to try and jump on and go: ‘Oh, they’ve made a mistake by sending him out. What are they thinking? He should be doing this at .’
Marcus Rashford has made an impact at Aston Villa. (Image: Getty)
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“But he [does] look happier. He looks like he’s willing to get the ball and drive to try and take players on. He just needs to keep doing that.”
Rashford has also been making an impression away from the spotlight in training, leaving Villa youngster Cole Brannigan stunned with his technical ability.
“We played them on the Wednesday, and he [Rashford] trained,” the 17-year-old winger told .
“He’s by far the best player I’ve seen technically with the ball – he was absolutely ridiculous. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“We have a family group chat and I just put in ‘Marcus Rashford is absolutely ridiculous’. Having Marcus Rashford at the club… he’s someone for me to look up to.”
Rashford made 426 senior appearances for United after graduating from his boyhood club’s academy as an 18-year-old in 2016, scoring 138 goals.
However, exiled him from his matchday squads for over a month, suggesting he wasn’t happy with the forward’s attitude and application.
Villa have a £40million buy option in the summer, but Rashford’s future is considered open, with heavyweight interest likely to resurface.