How Marco Asensio took Aston Villa by storm, why they can get him for a cut-price fee this summer and the Dubai break that can make him even better …and why he owes his success to his old mate Rafael Nadal

Even as a man who tends to think the world is against him, Jose Mourinho would have felt particularly sore at Chelsea’s semi-final defeat in the 2014 Champions League.

The young Belgian in goal for Atletico Madrid had helped his side reach the final with confident performances in both legs. Just a shame Thibaut Courtois was actually a contracted Chelsea player, who was on loan in the Spanish capital.

Courtois’ was not the only case. Juventus felt pretty sick when Kingsley Coman scored a decisive goal against them in a last-16 tie in March 2016, seven months after they had let him join Bayern Munich on loan.

As if losing to Bayern 8-2 in the 2020 quarter-finals were not humiliation enough, Barcelona had to swallow the sight of Philippe Coutinho – their £143million signing who Bayern had borrowed from them – scoring twice.

Fernando Morientes was a crucial performer Monaco in the 2004 quarter-final against his parent club Real Madrid and helped the Ligue 1 side reach the final – where they would lose 3-0 to Mourinho’s Porto – that year.

Aston Villa would love Marco Asensio to continue this trend. Unlike the Premier League, UEFA permit loan players to face the club who hold their registration. That means Asensio can line up for Villa against Paris Saint-Germain in next month’s quarter-final, barely two months after he left the French champions to join Villa for the rest of the campaign.

Asensio helped seal a place in the Champions League last eight with a double in Wednesday’s last 16 second leg against Club Bruges

Villa’s current arrangement with Asensio is low-risk: even if it had not worked well, he is with them only until June 30

With seven goals in eight matches, the 29-year-old’s impact has been so great at Villa that they are already considering whether they can sign him permanently. Especially after he helped seal a place in the Champions League last eight with a double in Wednesday’s last 16 second leg against Club Bruges. 

Mail Sport understands PSG would let Asensio leave for a relatively small fee – between £15m and £20m – but that is only one piece of the puzzle.

Having played in the Champions League for virtually his entire career, Asensio will think long and hard before signing for a club outside it. He is believed to earn about £8.3m a year in Paris and with Villa already spending a high proportion of their revenue on player wages, matching that salary will be another balancing act.

Villa’s current arrangement with Asensio is low-risk: even if it had not worked well, he is with them only until June 30. Were they to sign him on a three or four-year contract, Asensio would need and expect to be a fixed starter.

Asensio wants to play for his compatriot Emery and believes he can rediscover his mojo at Villa. The prospect of being the main man also excites him.

Even though he has 22 senior trophies, Asensio was never the central figure at Madrid and his career in France simply has not taken off. That is why the forthcoming international break will be vital for both player and club.

With no fixture before they go to Preston for an FA Cup fourth-round tie on March 30, Villa will travel to Dubai next week for a four-day, warm-weather training camp, featuring those players not involved with their national sides as well as a group of academy players.

Asensio’s last cap for Spain was nearly two years ago and unless he is selected by Luis de la Fuente on Friday, he will be on the plane to the United Arab Emirates – the perfect chance to bring him up to speed and improve his endurance.

Asensio and Marcus Rashford (right) have had a positive impact since joining Villa on loan

The Spaniard hasn’t played for his country for almost two years but will want to change that

The breakneck pace of the Premier League is tough for newcomers and Asensio is no exception In eight games at Villa, Asensio has started three times and completed 90 minutes only once.

Both he and fellow loan signing Marcus Rashford are said to be about three weeks shy of peak fitness. Villa hope to accelerate that process so they are in top shape for Preston.

Asked whether he hoped to sign Asensio permanently, Emery said: ‘In my idea of how I want to build the team here, a player like him is very important.

‘He wanted to start the game against Club Bruges but I decided to protect him and two goals in 45 minutes was fantastic for us. The way he is connecting with his team-mates is very important for us.’

Despite his past, Asensio is not the type to throw his weight around. Though he speaks decent English, it is not his style to launch into pep talks about how Cristiano Ronaldo used to do it or the vital ingredients required to win the Champions League, with three winners’ medals himself, including scoring in the 2017 final.

His achievements to date give him an aura, though, especially when this is new territory for plenty of his team-mates. On his Instagram account, Morgan Rogers posted a picture of him hugging Asensio with the caption ‘the best’ and the respect is mutual.

During his early training sessions, Asensio was soon impressed by Rogers’ ability and during their early appearances, the pair were always looking for one another and seemed to find the same wavelength straightaway. It is a similar story with Rashford, who has set up four of Asensio’s goals.

Even for a mild-mannered character like Asensio, rejection by PSG is bound to sting. Luis Enrique prefers more mobile, athletic forwards and Asensio started only 10 times for him this season. How sweet it would feel to show Enrique the error of his ways.

Even though he has 22 senior trophies, Asensio was never the central figure at Real Madrid and his career in France with Paris Saint-Germain simply has not taken off

Even for a mild-mannered character like Asensio, rejection by PSG is bound to sting

It is not his style to launch into pep talks about the vital ingredients required to win the Champions League, with three winners’ medals himself including scoring in the 2017 final

Asensio owes at least some of his success to his fellow Mallorcan Rafael Nadal. When Asensio was playing for his local club, it was Nadal who took a call from Madrid president Florentino Perez.

The tennis star’s uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, was Mallorca’s sporting director and his nephew soon passed on details of Madrid’s interest in Asensio.

The deal was soon complete, though Asensio will regret that he has so far been unable to duplicate Nadal’s success in Paris, where he won a record 14 French Open titles.

A Champions League quarter-final would be quite the time to make amends.