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Onuoha: Rashford proving a point with brace in FA Cup quarterfinal (0:52)
Nedum Onuoha reacts to Marcus Rashford’s performance in Aston Villa’s 3-0 win against Preston North End. (0:52)
Mar 30, 2025, 10:58 AM ET
Marcus Rashford has pointed to his “step-by-step” progress since joining Aston Villa as he scored his first goals for the club in Sunday’s 3-0 FA Cup quarterfinal win at Preston North End and added that he feels he has more to give.
The forward joined Unai Emery’s team on loan during the January transfer window after falling out of favour at Old Trafford where head coach Ruben Amorim repeatedly questioned Rashford’s effort in training.
Rashford has shown signs of improvement since joining Villa and was included in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad during the international break.
The clearest sign of his positive development came on Sunday at Deepdale when he rolled in his first Villa goal in the 58th minute before netting his second from the penalty spot just five minutes later. Jacob Ramsey rounded off the scoring with a 71st-minute strike.
Marcus Rashford opened his Aston Villa account during their 3-0 win over Preston North End on Sunday. Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images
“It’s a great feeling. I feel like I’ve slowly been getting fitter and playing better football since I’ve been here,” Rashford told the BBC. “So yeah, it’s obviously nice for a forward to always get goals, so hopefully it continues.”
Villa’s win booked their place at Wembley when they will face Crystal Palace in the semifinals of the FA Cup towards the end of April. Emery’s side have also reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League where they will take on Paris Saint-Germain.
The Midlands club are four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League table, although a fifth-placed finish is likely to be enough for a Champions League spot next season owing to English clubs’ results in European competition this campaign.
“I think we have to just take it one game at a time and just give 100% on the pitch and we’ll see where it takes us,” Rashford said. “But I think we’re a very ambitious team. We want to win, we want to try and get as far as we can in all competitions. And we also want to push to get back into the top four.”
Asked how close he feels to hitting his top form, Rashford said: “Step by step. I think I can still get fitter and I’ve missed a lot of football before joining up with them. So at the minute my body feels good and I’m injury free and just enjoying my football. So all good for now.”
