Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.
The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.
Rashford’s milestone strike came three days after he claimed a brace in Sunday’s 3-0 FA Cup quarter-final success away to Preston.
“The most important thing is how he’s feeling,” Emery said of Rashford.
“How he’s recovering confidence himself playing football, being focused only on football, being with his team-mates comfortable as well, identifying and understanding our style, our demands.
“Everything with him is progressively getting better.”
England international Rashford raced clear to scuff beyond home goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen after Villa countered from a Brighton corner.
Substitutes Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen sealed victory on the south coast as the visitors leapfrogged the Seagulls into seventh spot by extending their winning run to six games in all competitions.
Emery refused to be drawn on whether 27-year-old Rashford will remain at Villa Park next season and suggested it will depend on whether his side qualify for Europe – and which competition.
“It’s not time to speak about it now,” said Emery, who is preparing to begin a two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Paris St Germain next week ahead of an FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace.
“It’s not the same decision for different reasons. (It depends if) we are in the Champions League, we are in the Europa League, we are in the Conference League, (or) we are not (in Europe).
“Of course he’s performing well. He’s here because he wanted to come here with us, to try to feel confidence, comfortable, to play football, and as well trying to help us.
“We signed him because we were thinking about how much he can help us.
“At this moment in front we have different competitions, it’s the only way we can set an objective for him and for us.
“Hopefully at the end of the season we can get the best for him and the best for us.”
Brighton hit a post through Yasin Ayari’s first-half free-kick and were later denied an equaliser when Simon Adingra’s close-range effort was disallowed following VAR intervention due to an adjudged handball by Kaoru Mitoma.
Frustrated Seagulls fans greeted the full-time whistle with jeers.
Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler said: “I don’t know for who the boos were for.
“We tried everything on the pitch, that’s what we always try to do.
“The fans, I don’t know to who they reacted but we have to do it the next time better so they don’t boo any more.
“The first goal changed the momentum of the game, for sure. Games like this the first goal can make the difference.
“If we shot the first goal, we might sit here with a different outcome.”
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