'Holte End have a new hero' - Rashford shines in Aston Villa win

For Manchester United, it was yet another day during which their troubles were exposed. For Marcus Rashford, it was the polar opposite.

Rashford, who joined United at the age of seven and for so long was an instrumental player for the club, found himself frozen out under new manager Ruben Amorim.

So he went on loan to Aston Villa - and, on Saturday, he shone.

The 27-year-old's determined, energetic display after being brought on as a half-time substitute against Chelsea saw him assist both goals as Villa came from behind to win 2-1.

United, meanwhile, drew 2-2 with Everton to remain 15th in the table.

On Wednesday, Rashford made his first start in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool and on Saturday evening he had an exceptional half off the bench.

According to team-mate Youri Tielemans, he is someone who will "only get better" as he gets back to playing regular minutes.

"[I am] very pleased, especially the way he is performing now and with the two assists today," Tielemans told Sky Sports.

"Marcus is someone who can threaten everyone one versus one and even one versus two. He is very important for us in the way he plays because he gives us something different on the left-hand side."

With Marco Asensio scoring both goals, Rashford assisted the same player twice in a Premier League game for the first time since June 2020. "Every time he got the ball he was dangerous," added Tielemans.

Although he fell out of favour under Amorim, Rashford is beginning to find his feet again under Unai Emery.

He is currently on loan at Villa until the end of the season, having joined in February after not featuring for United since expressing his desire for a "new challenge" in December.

Villa have the option to make Rashford's deal permanent for £40m.

When Rashford left United, Amorim said: "Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different."

What could be different under Emery? And how is he planning to get the best out of the talented forward?

The Villa boss said he wants to "support him" and "help him" so that he can be "confident and comfortable".

"[We want to] try to help him to feel comfortable here," Emery told Sky Sports when asked about his plans for working with Rashford.

"Try to help him get confidence with us. Try to use the skill in our tactical idea, try to be demanding with him. He is in this process. Of course he played a fantastic 45 minutes. We now want to be consistent.

"Hopefully he is going to be important, like today, but then more and more and more. The most important for him is to try to be here with us and be confident and comfortable in a good atmosphere and this is my objective."

Despite only playing for half of the game, Rashford had the joint second-most touches in the opposition's box of any Villa player on Saturday.

He also created the most chances of any player for his side - with two of the three he created resulting in goals - and registered the most dribbles.

As the stats show, his work was pivotal in earning three points for a Villa side who are closing in on a European qualification spot and are now eight places above United in the league.

"He's got a new lease of life. His body language is good, he looks happy and he just looks like he's playing free," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said on Match of the Day.

"He looks like he's got a bit of love back for the game," added ex-England striker Alan Shearer. "There's no doubt he's playing with more energy at the start of his Villa career - he's got to keep on doing that."

Former Liverpool and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp said "you could not ask for more as a manager" than the impact Rashford made against Chelsea.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "I am sure that there are directors of football all around the world with their heads in their hands now thinking, 'why didn't I get Marcus Rashford?'

"I get the doubts. I would have been one of them. I would have been nervous doing it but right now Aston Villa look like they have got great business done and I am pleased for him."

The decision to bring on Rashford turned the tide for a Villa side who had made a good impression against Chelsea, but had been unable to find a way to get back to level terms.

"[Emery] took off Jacob Ramsey and that substitution made all the difference. He was fantastic," added Redknapp. "Marcus Rashford came on and the Holte End have got a new hero.

"He gave energy, he gave enthusiasm and everything we want to see from him because we know he can play but it has been the other parts of his game, the running, the desire."