Marcus Rashford ‘born again’ for ‘brilliant’ Aston Villa after UEFA Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, says Joe Cole

Joe Cole heaped praise on Marcus Rashford after he impressed again in Aston Villa’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

The Manchester United loanee provided a superb assist for Ezri Konsa’s goal, which put Villa 3-2 up on the night.

“Marcus Rashford’s been born again,” Cole said on TNT Sports. “That’s what we want to see.”

He added: “Villa have done themselves very, very proud. Villa haven’t been in Europe for a long, long time. The fans had a great time.

“The story of the season is Unai Emery and how he’s managed this competition. The signings they made in January, the resurgence of Rashford, who was brilliant tonight. The club’s just going in the right direction.

“I’m absolutely convinced they’ll get a Champions League spot for next year. I love watching them play. Morgan Rogers is arguably one of the best young players in Europe.

“They’ve been absolutely brilliant. The fans stayed and clapped them off, and they should rightfully be proud of this group of players – it’s been a long time coming.”

John McGinn was influential for Villa throughout a memorable Champions League campaign, and his deflected long-range strike made the score 2-2 on the night.

He echoed Cole’s sentiments, insisting the overarching feeling was one of pride.

“Obvious disappointment but I am proud of my team-mates, proud of the club,” he told TNT Sports. “We have come a long way. We were so, so close tonight. We just fell a little bit short.

“We had chances to take the game to extra-time, but we’ve got to be proud about the way we came back against one of the best teams in the world, to fight to the end.

“We want more. We want to be back here next season and we will try our best to do that.”

Asked what Emery told the players at half-time, McGinn added: “He said: ‘I’m proud of the performance, keep going, you just never know’.

“We never gave up. It was chaos, but we gave absolutely everything and I think every Aston Villa supporter will leave with a huge sense of pride.”

McGinn also gave his verdict on PSG, now very much amongst the favourites to win the Champions League.

“I’ve never played against Real Madrid or Barcelona, but in my career they’re the best team I have faced,” he said. “I’m getting old and I certainly wouldn’t like to play against them every week.”