Ruben Amorim gave his reaction to Marcus Rashford scoring his first goals for Aston Villa to help them reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
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Coach pleased with striker's progress at VillaRashford heading to FA Cup semisHas chance of winning two trophies on loanFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Rashford scored the first of Villa's two goals in their 3-0 win at Preston North End on Sunday, continuing his excellent run of form since joining Unai Emery's side on loan from United in January. It means that Rashford will head to Wembley to face Crystal Palace in the semi-final, aiming to play in a third consecutive FA Cup final. Villa are also still in the Champions League, facing Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals next week.
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Amorim cast Rashford out from his squad just a few weeks after becoming United coach, citing his performances in training. He got so fed up with the striker that he even claimed he would rather select his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital than Rashford. The coach was believed to be a key driver of United's decision to send the forward, who is one of United's highest-paid players, out on loan to Villa.
WHAT AMORIM SAID
The United coach told a press conference: "We have a lot of games to play and I am focused on my team and my players. And Rashford is not my player at the moment. But every player that performs well on loan is good news for our club, so we are happy with that."
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Amorim revealed that defender Ayden Heaven will return to action before the end of the season after suffering a concerning-looking injury in United's last match at Leicester City. Heaven will not be ready for United's next game at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, although the coach said that fellow defenders Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro would be available after recovering from their respective injuries. Patrick Dorgu is also free to play after completing a three-game suspension.