Marcus Rashford didn’t start Aston Villa’s last home Premier League match against Chelsea, but he still managed to make an impact. The 27-year-old contributed two assists off the bench in a comeback victory for the Villans, serving a reminder of the quality possessed by the on-loan Manchester United attacker.

At Old Trafford, Rashford had badly lost his way. He was exiled from the first team by Ruben Amorim amid questions over his commitment levels. Links to AC Milan, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund never amounted to any firm offer and so Rashford ended up going out on loan to Aston Villa until the end of the season.

Emery’s approach has been a good fit for Rashford. The Aston Villa managed likes to set up his team to attack open space and this is what the 27-year-old is best at. Rashford isn’t a guaranteed starter for Villa, such is the club’s attacking depth, but he has looked like his old self again, producing a series of positive performances.

“Support him. Help him. Try to [make him] feel comfortable here. Try to get confidence with us. Try to work … Try to use the skills in our tactical idea. Try as well to be demanding with him in our demands as well tactically and everything. And he’s in this process,” said Emery when asked what work he’d done to revive Rashford.

“Of course he played a fantastic 45 minutes [against Chelsea]. And really this is the only thing. We want to try to be consistent through him, in our squad and in our way we are going to do [that]. But he’s going to be hopefully very, very important like today.

“But hopefully more and more and more. And the most important for him is try to feel comfortable here. Try to get confidence. Be here in good atmosphere with us and this is my objective.”

Rashford is only on loan at Aston Villa until the end of the season, although the Villa Park outfit holds a clause to sign the England international permanently. Nonetheless, that is enough time for Rashford to push Villa higher up the Premier League while demonstrating his talent in a way that had been hidden for a long time.

Manchester United has become an unhealthy environment for top-level players. Countless cases prove this and Rashford’s is just the latest. Aston Villa is benefiting from United’s mismanagement of one of its most talented players and Rashford is benefiting from a sanctuary away from Old Trafford.