Unai Emery drops Marcus Rashford hint ahead of Liverpool game | OneFootball

Unai Emery has suggested Marcus Rashford could make his first start for Aston Villa in Wednesday night's Premier League clash with Liverpool.

Rashford has made two substitute appearances for Villa following his late-January loan move from Manchester United, impressing in both cameos with his application and energy.

Villa are competing on multiple fronts this season. They remain in the hunt for a successive top-four Premier League finish, sitting ninth but just seven points behind Manchester City, are through to the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in a decade and have a place in the Champions League last 16 under their belt after finishing in the top-eight of the league phase table.

It means Emery needs to balance the workload of his players, potentially meaning a first start for Rashford and fellow January arrival Marco Asensio for Liverpool's visit to the Midlands.

“Yes [they are closer to starting] because they are in their individual process to get fit and understand our ideas tactically,” Emery said of the duo. "Tactically we are changing a little bit with those players and we have to try and practice a little bit in the training session as well to practice playing in matches, we did that in two matches with Asensio and Marcus and with [Axel] Disasi just in the last match.

"We are working every day here trying to get our ideas to them as quickly as possible and as well as work on the training pitch we have had some meetings to try and help them understand. Now they are getting better, understanding more and they are closer to playing in the starting XI.

Marco Asensio could also be nearing a first Aston Villa start / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages

"The most important thing in each circumstance is one goal for those players," the Spaniard continued. "They chose to come here with us and decided to join us for different reasons.

“I think they need as well to show or to try to use this period to increase again or to recover their level and their confidence playing football.

"We're here trying to get this challenge with us. Each one, they have an individual challenge joining us here. We will be very demanding helping them to get it because the best for them is the best for us. The success for them is the success for us."

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who is hoping to take his side ten points clear at the top of the Premier League table with victory, admitted in his own media conference that he expects Rashford to do well at Villa – he just hopes his forward momentum doesn't come against the Reds.

"I was really impressed," Slot said of Rashford, having faced him in pre-season. He's a very good player, I hope for him he shows it at Villa but of course, not tomorrow. I would be completely surprised if a player of this quality isn't going to show it in the upcoming months. He's a very good player in my opinion."