Aston Villa star issues Marcus Rashford warning to rivals after FA Cup heroics

Marcus Rashford scored his first goals for loan club Aston Villa on Sunday, as they beat Preston North End 3-0 to seal their place in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley

Jacob Ramsey says he’s back to his best – and believes it won’t be long before Marcus Rashford is, too. Aston Villa’s midfielder scored the goal that helped seal the club’s first FA Cup semi-final appearance in a decade with the 3-0 victory at Preston.

That followed a brace for the on-loan Manchester United star, and Ramsey, who suffered a miserable campaign last term with a string of toe injuries, believes he is not far from reaching the form that hinted at a call-up to the senior England ranks. He said: “It’s been coming for quite a while. I spoke after the Champions League game with Celtic and thought my form was improving.

“It’s so hard coming back from injury after injury. You feel like you are getting there, and then you get another niggle. I always think for an attacking player to get that sharpness back, it takes a bit longer than it does for a defender. If you look at Bouba(car) Kamara – he was out for a year with a big injury and he came back like he’d never been away.

“For me, last year I was out and at the start of this season I wasn’t feeling great. So, fingers crossed now that I can keep going.”

Asked if Rashford was going through a similar adjustment following his temporary switch from Old Trafford, Ramsey said: “Yes, 100 per cent. You can see in training and even watching the England games that he’s been getting that confidence back. Two goals in the FA Cup… he’ll be buzzing and hopefully he can keep scoring.”

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Villa’s season keeps moving forward. Premier League fixtures against Brighton and Nottingham Forest this week will significantly affect their chances of finishing in the top four again. While accepting the FA Cup was ‘important’ for the supporters, Villa’s boss has hammered the club’s priorities into his players.

Ramsey said: “The next two months need to be our best two months of the season – that’s what the boss keeps saying. We’ve got big games in the Champions League against PSG. But this week against Brighton and Forest – they are massive for us trying to get back in the Champions League next season.

“But the boss made it very clear – even in pre-season – that the Premier League is the main goal. The other competitions come after. As players, you love playing in the Champions League, and you always want to be focused, but the boss is so good at reminding us – what we do in the Champions League this year doesn’t matter if we don’t qualify for next year. So for us players, it’s Premier League.”

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A date in the last eight against Paris Saint-Germain awaits and now a trip to Wembley with a prize of the final if Unai Emery’s men can find a route past Crystal Palace. Ramsey added: “For me it’s a little bit more special – growing up as a Villa fan. Obviously, I’ve been to Wembley twice, maybe three times. Semi-final and final in the cup and then the play off.

“I remember watching Jack (Grealish) – one of his standout performances when he was against Liverpool when he was young. Then, the disappointment of the final against Arsenal. The play-off final against Derby. But this will be my first one in the squad so I’m going to enjoy it, especially as my family will be coming.”

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