Rashford 'frustration' laid bare while Liverpool claim speaks volumes

Marcus Rashford turned in a stunning second-half display for Aston Villa against PSG in the Champions League, but the Man Utd loanee's mixed form is still causing frustration

A former Aston Villa star has expressed his frustration at Marcus Rashford's inconsistent form after their Champions League quarter-final exit to Paris Saint-Germain. Rashford was chosen to start in both legs of the tie by Unai Emery, but looked isolated last week as Villa fell to a 3-1 defeat away in Paris.

The 27-year-old also started poorly at Villa Park on Tuesday before producing an impressive second-half performance. Rashford's assist for Ezri Konsa's goal caught the eye on the night as it gave the Midlands side the lead and reduced the deficit to 5-4 on aggregate.

However, it wasn't enough to force extra time and ex-Villa striker Dean Saunders has questioned why Rashford can't show his quality more frequently. He also criticised Emery for not starting Ollie Watkins alongside the Manchester United loanee.

It was the third successive game where Rashford was given the nod ahead of Watkins, despite his team-mate's total of 15 goals and 12 assists across all competitions this season. Saunders made his comments after claiming that Watkins is the only Villa man capable of getting into the team for either Liverpool or Manchester City.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Liverpool striker said: "Rashford was poor at PSG, and I was thinking that you can't go there with ten men. Last night, obviously he's talented, and he's got that performance in him. He makes the goal for Konsa brilliantly, beats two men, and he looks dangerous.

"That's the frustrating part about him. I thought he did well, but how can you leave Ollie Watkins out? He's probably their best player, and probably the only player they've got that would get into Liverpool and Man City's teams.

"To not start in that game, I'd be gutted if I was him. What's wrong with playing two up front? It's like they're allergic to playing two up front. Surely, he could have put him there with Rashford."

After Tuesday's game, Emery refused to be drawn on Rashford's future at Villa, who have a £40million option to sign him permanently from United when the summer transfer window opens. "It's difficult to plan it now," the Spaniard told Prime Video Sport.

"Of course, he is feeling better and today he played a fantastic match and we are very happy and most importantly he is happy. So we are happy with him and he's happy with us this is important with the process we have."

Meanwhile, Watkins has admitted to being left frustrated with his limited number of starts in recent weeks. However, he also acknowledged the high level of competition for places within the Villa squad.

Speaking before Tuesday's match, the 29-year-old said: "I think this is definitely, probably the best Villa squad there is in terms of depth and quality. [It is] a bit of a headache for the manager.

"With a fully-fit squad, Ross Barkley, an unbelievable player, is missing out. So, it shows the depth that we have got. For me, I'm not happy to sit on the bench.

"It's disappointing every game that I am on the bench but it is the manager's decision at the end of the day. All you can do when you come on the pitch is to try to make an impact and then go from there."