Asensio in awe of Aston Villa teammate Rashford after display v Cardiff | OneFootball

Aston Villa advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2015 after a commanding win over Cardiff City on Friday night.

Despite dominating the first half, Villa struggled to beat Cardiff goalkeeper Ethan Horvath. However, the breakthrough came in the 68th minute when Marcus Rashford set up fellow loanee Marco Asensio for his third goal for the club.

The duo had linked up similarly in Villa’s last home game, where Rashford assisted Asensio twice in a 2-1 win over Chelsea.

Asensio sealed the victory 10 minutes from time, converting a pass from Villa talisman Ollie Watkins to make it 2-0.

Asensio got most of the plaudits for his contributions, and rightly so. Villa needed goals, and he brought them since joining from Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Asensio, after the game, was more effusive in his praise of teammate Rashford, who has also been fantastic since joining the club on loan from Manchester United.

“We have to keep pushing. We are in the right way. The next step is the Champions League, and now the focus is there.”

Rashford has created 13 chances in all competitions for Villa, the most of any Premier League player since he debuted on February 9.

Given Rashford’s immediate impact, Villa should look at ways to extend his stay beyond this season.

A permanent move would be costly, and given his inconsistent form at Manchester United before the loan, Villa would be right to hesitate over a big-money commitment.

However, a cut-price deal or another season-long loan would be a sensible approach, allowing Unai Emery to continue integrating Rashford into the squad without overstretching the club’s finances.

If he keeps delivering performances like this, Villa would be wise to explore a deal that balances ambition with financial prudence.