Marcus Rashford made his debut for Aston Villa on Sunday, coming on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup fourth round.
Rashford hadn’t played since Manchester United‘s Europa League league phase win over Viktoria Plzen on Dec. 12 as he was frozen out of Ruben Amorim’s matchday squads over what the Portuguese coach called “standards.”
The 27-year old came on alongside fellow loanee Marco Asensio in the 66th minute with Villa leading 2-0, replacing Leon Bailey and Donyell Malen. The game ended in a 2-1 win for Villa, sending Unai Emery’s side into the fifth round.
The England international moved to Villa on loan ahead of the January transfer deadline and has now made his first appearance for Villa.
“We have to protect every player and try to adapt them into our structure and use their skills. Marco Asensio, Rashford and Malen are versatile players in the attacking third. We can feel confident to have them,” Emery said after the game.
“We are very demanding in our way because we want to be in the top six or top five in the Premier League as well as in the Champions League, where we are in the last 16.”