Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford has sent out a heartfelt message after Aston Villa’s Champions League encounter with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
Aston Villa hosted French side PSG at Villa Park and Unai Emery’s men sealed a sensational 3-2 comeback win over Luis Enrique’s men in the Champions League.
However, Unai Emery’s side crashed out of UEFA’s top-tier club competition in the quarter-finals thanks to a 5-4 aggregate scoreline in favour of PSG.
PSG had hosted Villa at the Parc des Princes for the first-leg quarter-final tie last Wednesday and Luis Enrique’s side sealed a 3-1 win on the night in Paris.
Enrique’s men initially took control of the return leg at Villa Park after Achraf Hakimi opened the scoring before Nuno Mendes doubled PSG’s lead in the first half.
However, Villa pulled one back before half-time after Youri Tielemans scored for his side and then John McGinn netted the crucial equaliser in the second half.
Ezri Konsa fired Villa into the lead only two minutes after John McGinn scored, but Emery’s men were unable to find a fourth and force the tie to extra time.
Marcus Rashford started the return-leg fixture of the Champions League and the Manchester United player picked up an assist for Villa in the 3-2 win over PSG.
Man Utd player Marcus Rashford makes his feelings clear after PSG knocked Aston Villa out of the Champions League
Marcus Rashford played 76 minutes against PSG in the Champions League before Aston Villa manager Unai Emery hooked him off and replaced him with Ollie Watkins.
The 27-year-old Manchester United player has been reviving his career at Villa Park after he made his sensational exit from Old Trafford in the January transfer window.
Rashford has made 15 appearances for Villa and the England international has scored three times and registered six assists for Emery’s men during his loan spell.
The Three Lions star fell out of favour under United boss Ruben Amorim and Premier League side Villa signed Rashford on a loan deal for the remainder of the season.
Villa are reportedly covering a majority of Rashford’s mammoth United wages and the club did not have to pay a loan fee to take the player away from Old Trafford.
Following Villa’s exit from the Champions League, Rashford took to social media and sent a rallying call to Villa fans after PSG punched their ticket to the semi-finals.
“Fantastic support again tonight,” he wrote on Instagram.
“We tried until the end but just couldn’t get another goal! We have to keep going as our season is still alive.”
What Unai Emery made of Marcus Rashford’s performance for Aston Villa after the Champions League exit at the hands of PSG
Speaking after Villa’s 3-2 win over PSG, Emery admitted that he is “very happy” with Rashford’s progress at the club and the United loanee is also feeling the same way.
“It is difficult to plan it now,” he told Amazon Prime Video, as per BBC Sport.
“He is feeling better and he played a fantastic match. We are very happy.
“If he is happy, we are happy. It depends on the circumstances for now and the next weeks.”
Villa’s loan agreement with United for Rashford does include an option to buy the England international for a £40m transfer fee.
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