Unai Emery rejects Ruben Amorim's Marcus Rashford verdict | OneFootball

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery described Marcus Rashford's performance in training as "fantastic" - a stark contrast to Ruben Amorim's persistent complaints about the forward during their shared time at Manchester United.

Rashford was infamously dropped by Amorim for December's Manchester derby and never again appeared for his boyhood club. The 27-year-old was eventually loaned to Villa at the end of the winter transfer window, a deal which United's head coach was "thankful" for after six weeks of unrelenting scrutiny.

Amorim recently revealed that he failed to make the winger "see the way you're supposed to play football and to train the way I see it". At one point, the Portuguese boss openly admitted that he would rather select 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital on the bench than "any player that doesn't give the maximum".

Shortly after his arrival at Villa Park, Rashford had already impressed Emery. "Today he trained fantastic," the Spanish boss told assembled media on Friday, "tomorrow again, Sunday we have a match. If we try and get the future before building the present, it's impossible. If we do it, we'll crash."

Rashford was not the only winter recruit Villa made in a busy window, but he was the most high profile. "I'm very happy with the window we did, I'm very happy with him," Emery said of the England international. "The conversation I had with him was a very normal conversation with a player and coach, speaking about football. I only want the best football from him.

"I don't want to know the reason he is leaving Manchester but I am very happy keeping him here and I am very happy to try to exploit and help him recover his performances, individually and collectively. My challenge with him is a huge challenge. His challenge with us is exciting. With the other players, I am very happy."

Emery could hand Rashford his debut on Sunday evening when Villa host an out-of-sorts Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup.