Arne Slot has praised Marcus Rashford as a very good player as Liverpool prepare to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday night, with the English forward on loan from Manchester United set to feature in the match at Villa Park.
Rashford was one of the better performers as Villa played out a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town last time out in the Premier League, with the 27-year-old favoured to start the game and Slot says he would be surprised if Rashford doesn’t impress in his loan spell.
“I know Marcus Rashford as I follow the Premier League. The first time I faced him was on the USA tour and was really impressed with how fast he is and comfortable on ball. I hope he shows that at Villa – but not tomorrow,” Slot said on Tuesday.
The Liverpool boss continued, “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.”
Speaking on the game itself, Slot said, “Villa away is like Wolves at home [the 2-1 win on Saturday] – a difficult one. They have a great home record, maybe more when they play in the evening.”
He added, “Last season was 3-3. They have a very good manager who always has a very good gameplan. We know it’s going to be a challenge but we know we have a quite OK away record this season.”
Liverpool hold a seven-point lead after 25 games while Aston Villa, with 38 points, head into the game on the back of three draws in their last four matches.