Marcus Rashford has said Aston Villa must believe they can win the Champions League this season after joining the club on loan from Manchester United.
Rashford completed his loan move to Aston Villa on Sunday, after expressing interest in leaving Old Trafford for a new challenge. The 27-year-old links up with an Aston Villa team who are pushing for a top-four finish and impressing in Europe.
Marcus Rashford — Villa’s new no.9 👊 pic.twitter.com/vSjLJUGiY4
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 3, 2025
In the Champions League, Unai Emery’s side secured a top-eight finish in the league phase and automatic qualification to the Round of 16.
Having already beaten the likes of Juventus and RB Leipzig in this season’s competition, Rashford said Villa – in their first season in the tournament during the Champions League era – should have confidence in the knockout rounds.
“I think it’s clear. We’re obviously still in the Champions League, we want to go as far as we can in that,” he told VillaTV.
“If you don’t aim to win it, you’re never going to win it. That’ll be my main objective, and keep pushing in the league to get as high as possible.
“Obviously, (it’s) the biggest competition for a club to be involved in,” Rashford added on the Champions League.
“I’m sure it will be a new experience for me, playing for Villa in the Champions League. It’s always going to be a great moment, but the aims remain the same, to try and do our best to win it.
“I’ve played a fair amount of games in the Champions League, so I feel like I’m experienced and know how to handle those types of situations.
“But, like I say, it’s a new environment, new team, new team-mates, so it’s about shared experiences and using each other’s experiences to help you get through the game and hopefully keep winning.”
On what he can bring to the team, Rashford said he can ‘decide games’ when at his best: “I know I can hurt teams, I know when I’m playing at my best, I can decide football games.
“That’ll be my only ambition and only goal, to help the team win more games, more points and hopefully create history.”
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