Unai Emery has hinted that Marcus Rashford has edged ahead of Ollie Watkins in the Aston Villa pecking order as he can play in more than one position.
The on-loan Manchester United star was signed mainly to play as a wide attacker but in recent matches he has been preferred to Watkins in the No9 role – much to the frustration of Villa’s top scorer.
Asked about the pair’s credentials ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley, Emery praised Rashford’s ability to switch roles.
‘You always need two strikers and being versatile is better,’ said the Villa boss. ‘Rashford is versatile.
‘I want to have players like these two as we try to get to the level we want.
Earlier this week it emerged that Rashford is unlikely to play for United again under Amorim
The on-loan Manchester United star was signed mainly to play as a wide attacker but in recent matches he has been preferred to Watkins in the No9 role, to the frustration of Villa’s top scorer
‘You always need two strikers and being versatile is better,’ said Aston Villa boss Unai Emery
‘I like to have players in the squad at the level those two have shown us. My job is to share the playing time between both, manage the person as well as the professional, as well as the tactical idea and my selection for each match.
‘I want to have the same selection problems I have had in the last matches we have played. Some players will be on the bench but they are very important and they have showed it this season by making an impact.
‘That’s what I want. I had more problems when I didn’t have enough players to play at the level I wanted. Now I have enough to compete at this level and we can see the difference between how we are now and how we were six months ago.’
