As he continues to make a decisive impact, the loan signing of Marco Asensio is proving to be an inspired move from Aston Villa.
The 29-year-old made it seven goals in just eight appearances in a Villa shirt with his latest brace in our win over Club Brugge this week, while just three of those outings have come as a starter.
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With his wealth of experience and the pedigree that he has given the previous clubs that he’s played for and the silverware that he’s won, the expectation was always that Asensio would be an important addition to Unai Emery’s squad.
However, few would surely have predicted the extent of his impact thus far, and it will hopefully continue between now and the end of the season to inspire us to achieve our objectives.
Naturally, his goals will be the stand-out factor as he’s winning games for us and consistently making a decisive impact when on the pitch.
That said, the astuteness and intelligence in his movement, reading of the game and ability to find pockets of space in the final third all showcase what makes him an elite player, as he has provided the exact dynamic that Villa needed in front of goal.
While we boast plenty of players who have pace, power, technical ability and width, Asensio brings guile, finesse and oozes class to provide us with a different dynamic, and a much-needed one at that to give us balance in our attack.
His understanding with Marcus Rashford continues to stand out given his fellow loanee clearly enjoys playing alongside him given the number of assists he’s provided for his goals, but whether it’s Youri Tielemans breaking the lines and finding Asensio in space or our wide players linking up with the Spanish international to create openings, he’s been a breathe of fresh air since arriving.
As noted above, it’s hoped that he can sustain this form through to the end of the campaign, as it could ultimately prove to be the difference as we continue to compete for silverware in the Champions League and FA Cup, while pushing for a top-five finish in the Premier League too.
It’s been a joy to watch Asensio operate and take us to another level during his brief time with us thus far, and although he remains a loanee with no option to buy included in the agreement with Paris Saint-Germain, he’s certainly making it a pretty easy decision when it comes to trying to prise him away from our upcoming rivals on a permanent basis in the summer.