'Goodness me': Alan Shearer stunned by what Marco Asensio did on his Aston Villa debut
09/02/2025 21:11
Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford made their debuts for Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Unai Emery was able to deploy the Spain international and the England international – signed on loan from PSG and Manchester United – against Tottenham, with the pair helping the Villans see out a 2-1 win and progress into the fifth round for the first time in a decade.
It must have been a sight to beyond for Aston Villa fans to see Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio wearing claret and blue – having only won promotion to the Premier League in 2019 – and the latter did something to catch the eye of Alan Shearer just minutes into his debut.
Alan Shearer left dazzled by Marco Asensio skill
The Spaniard almost registered an assist for Morgan Rogers shortly after replacing Leon Bailey in the 66th minute, and what an assist it would have been.
Asensio delightfully took down a long ball under pressure from Archie Gray, before back-heeling the ball past the Tottenham No.14 to Rogers.
"Flicks and tricks" from the new man Marco Asensio 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VeZNX2d5nK
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) February 9, 2025
The pair then played a one-two, involving a couple of nutmegs on the unfortunate Gray, before Rogers fired a shot narrowly wide into the side netting. Simply put, it would have been a gorgeous goal from the Aston Villa duo.
After watching this sequence of play, Shearer – who was on commentary duty for BBC Sport – said: “Goodness me, flicks and tricks.
“Marco Asensio with the back-flick. Morgan Rogers just couldn’t get his shot on target.”
The 29-year-old was again unlucky not to provide an assist on his debut after a nice combination with Rashford, playing a low ball across the face of goal, which just evaded Jacob Ramsey.
Do Aston Villa have a purchase option on Marco Asensio?
After such an exciting debut, many Aston Villa fans will presumably be wondering whether there is a option to buy Asensio – who Jamie O’Hara wanted at Tottenham – on a permanent basis this summer.
Unfortunately, Aston Villa did not negotiate a purchase option for Asensio – according to Duncan Castles.
The respected journalist claims that Aston Villa did not push for a purchase option, as PSG wanted a loan fee in return for such a clause to be inserted in the agreement.
