Marcus Rashford: as Aston Villa Loanee has restored his swallower

Marcus Rashford resumed his swagger.

The Aston Villa loan concluded its 120-day goal drought with a double of the second half of Preston on Sunday to help the Unai Emery team to create a semifinal of the England Cup against Crystal Palace-and to provide another clear sign that is enjoying its football again.

Frozen outside the first team of Manchester United by the coach Ruben Amorim a few weeks after replacing Erik Ten Hag at the helm, even those closest to Rashford agreed to have an important point to demonstrate when he completed his transfer on loan to Aston Villa on February 3.

Those who work with him can see Rashford’s improvement, perhaps not enough at the levels of the old but certainly very far from the passive figure who appeared at Old Trafford for most of the previous 18 months.

The head of England Thomas Tuchel must also have heard him, judging from the speed with which he restored Rashford to the international turn at the beginning of this month.

Yet there were many doubtful. They were in force on social media during the first half of the victory of the quarter-finals 3-0 of the England Cup in Preston, while Rashford wasted a pair of punishment kicks while visitors fought to transform their domain into a goal.

The only measure, however, of the success of an attacker is the regularity that hit the back of the network – and had not done it for 14 games and counting from his double for United against Everton on December 1st.

But when Lucas Digne offered the opportunity of 13 minutes in the second half of Deepdale, Rashford’s innate ability did the rest as he calmly chose his place before finding the corner at the bottom.

Five minutes later, despite the wait for the referee assistant (VAR) to confirm that Villa should receive a penalty, and the goalkeeper David Cornell who offers some “tips” while he passed to take his position, Rashford’s nerve was held. He took his time, made an extensive stuttering and found the net.

“The swagger is back”, Gushed Guy Mowbray on his comment of the day of the day. “Trust and laying.”

“It’s a good feeling,” said Rashford at the BBC Sport later: “It’s always nice for an attacker to get a goal, so I hope it will continue.

“I feel like I had become more fit and playing football better since I was here. I lost a lot of football before joining them. My body feels good and for now I am enjoying football.”