Unai Emery makes Marcus Rashford and Jhon Duran comparison as Ollie Watkins plan revealed
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has spoken about how he plans to use Marcus Rashford in the remaining weeks of the season
Unai Emery wants to play Marcus Rashford as a number nine rather than a winger, but admits he doesn’t have enough time to establish a system where the Manchester United loanee can form a strike partnership with Ollie Watkins.
Rashford has started four of Villa’s last five matches as the striker, while Watkins has mostly come off the bench, except when he played from the off against Nottingham Forest.
Rashford scored a brace in the FA Cup quarter-final against Preston, then opened the scoring in the win over Brighton. After Watkins led the line against Forest, Rashford was selected ahead of him for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain and the Premier League match at Southampton.
Watkins’ introduction at St Mary’s proved pivotal in the 3-0 win on the south coast. He won a penalty shortly after coming on and then broke the deadlock after Marco Asensio had missed from the spot.
“He showed us he was feeling fantastic in Southampton and scoring a goal and he played 30 minutes early, performing very well,” Emery said of Watkins.
“This is the attitude we have with the players. Try to be focused 100 per cent and try to be using their skills and qualities, helping the team. 90 minutes, 60 minutes, 45 minutes, 30 minutes or even five minutes.
“This is the mentality we will need tomorrow to play the match. Everybody ready and everybody trying to get the best.”
Emery added: “We are increasing the level, firstly because we are playing more matches than two years ago when we arrived here. We are now playing 55 to 57 matches last year and this year.
“And as well, a lot of players are going with the national team. When I arrived here they were going less than now. One of them is Watkins.
“When you are playing the highest level, usually it's because you are competing with good teammates in the squad. And this is the process we have. And the players have to understand that when we are increasing our level it's being more competitive with them as well.
"We have to use two players competing in the highest level to get our objective. This is the process we are increasing in two years. And the experience we are adding collectively and individually is being positive.
"For example, it's very, very important this year, we started the season playing only Watkins when he was not completely fit.
"We needed Jhon Duran and he helped us to get a lot of points in that moment. West Ham, Leicester. And then sometimes as well, it was Jhon Duran playing in the starting 11 and he was being substituted and he was helping us for 30 minutes.
"Now with Rashford it is something similar. We can identify the same way. We need both players [Rashford and Watkins]. And the next step, if I can have time, is for them to play together.
"They did it, with Rashford on the left side. But now we are choosing both players playing as a striker. That is the next step I want to do. I want to try to practice, to test, but we are not now with enough time to do it.”
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