Liverpool manager Arne Slot has praised the “quality” of on-loan Aston Villa forward Marcus Rashford ahead of their Premier League clash on Wednesday.
The Manchester United loanee had struggled for any form under Ruben Amorim but enjoyed an incredible second-half performance against Ipswich at the weekend as he looked as good as he’s looked for some time.
In just 45 minutes, he managed four shots, three dribbles, four key passes, 62 touches, two big chances created, and three tackles. It was an all-action display that reminded fans of his capabilities. His free-kick also rattled the bar and fell into Ollie Watkins’s path for their equalizer.
Unai Emery already possesses Donyell Malan, Jacob Ramsay, Morgan Rogers, and other exciting figures in attack despite the sale of Jhon Duran.
Despite their incredible Champions League campaign, they sit ninth in the league table. That form will need to change if they want European football, but they are only five points away from Bournemouth in fifth place.
Ahead of their clash with Liverpool, Slot spoke to the media and was quizzed on Rashford’s current situation, as he praised him with some kind words.
Slot said: “I know Marcus Rashford as I follow the Premier League, and the first time I faced him was on the USA tour, and I was really impressed with how fast he is, nice height, and comfortable on the ball. I hope he shows that at Villa, but not tomorrow!
“I’d be completely surprised if a player of that quality isn’t going to show that in upcoming months. He is a very good player.”
The Liverpool boss commented on the team’s injury woes, with Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez set to be unavailable for the away trip to Villa Park. With 16 goals and five assists, the Dutchman will be a miss.
Slot said: “Cody is quite close to being back, Joe is going to be out for several weeks because of a hamstring injury. A big blow for us but, first of all, for him because he tries to do everything to be with the team.
“He worked really hard to come back, then the first game he came back after two to three minutes, we saw him making a sprint, and now he’s out for weeks again.
“It’s always very hard for a player in every part of the season, let alone the part of the season everyone is looking forward to. He [Gomez] will miss large parts of the end of the season, but we expect him to be back in the end phase. He might [need surgery], but that’s something we have to assess.”
