British Media “Dazzled” By Marco Asensio Debut in Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham
Aston Villa had one of the best winter transfer windows in Premier League history this season, adding Donyell Malen, Marcus Rashford, Axel Disasi and Marco Asensio to their ranks. While only the former has joined on a permanent deal, the quartet are all very talented players and will provide a huge boost to the club’s chances at securing Champions League football again this season.
A lot of fanfare has been made about Rashford and his arrival. Plenty had something to say after his debut against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup on Sunday evening too, but former Real Madrid man Asensio also made his first appearance for Unai Emery’s side in the match and his start has also given fans and pundits alike plenty to talk about.
They were very impressed
Several years ago, Villa were on the brink of relegation from the Premier League and it looked for a while like they were going to return to the Championship. Fast-forward to now and the club have just signed Asensio on loan from European powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain. It’s been a remarkable rise for Emery’s side and there was a sense of excitement about his arrival. The forward’s debut didn’t let anyone down either. Coming off the bench in the second half, he showed why he’s such an electric talent. In just 24 minutes, he completed a dribble, eight passes in the final third, registered a key pass, won two out of his three duels and finished the game with a 100% pass success rate. It was a solid start and the media liked what they saw.
Birmingham Live’s Aston Villa correspondent, John Townley, spoke very highly of him in his player ratings article. He rated him 8/10 and said: “Gave the Villa fans something to cheer moments after coming on as he performed a roulette to create space and keep possession. More flicks and tricks to come.”
Birmingham World’s Charlie Haffenden was also very happy with what he saw from Asensio. He also rated him 8/10 and said: “[Asensio] dazzled whenever he gained possession and didn’t misplace a single pass. Created an excellent chance for Rogers after plucking the ball out of the sky.”
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Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings and Match Highlights
Aston Villa progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup while Ange Postecoglou’s hopes of securing silverware take a huge hit.
Fans’ Reaction to Asensio
The media weren’t the only ones happy with what they saw
While the media were effusive with their praise of Asensio, they weren’t the only ones and fans have also been very vocal about what they saw from the star on Sunday. A general rule in football is to never fall in love with a loan player as it sets fans up for heartbreak when they love at the end of their temporary spell, but one Villa supporter already sees themselves adoring Asensio. They took to X (Twitter) and said: “Going to fall in love with a loan player,” while another thought his first impressions were strong, posting: “Some debut!!”
A third fan couldn’t help but get carried away after seeing what he brought to the table. They shared: “Not to get carried away, but Asensio is the best player in the world right now.” A fourth highlighted his incredible movement on the turf, saying: “That man just glides across the pitch.”
Finally, a fifth supporter compared Asensio to former Villa man Paul Merson and claimed he was the best passer he’d seen in quite some time. He said: “He was so slick it’s untrue. Reminded me of Merson, as it’s the best passing I’ve seen in a while. Different from Tielemans and McGinn (even though they are good) as it’s in the final 3rd he excels.”
Not a bad first impression at all.
All statistics courtesy of SofaScore and accurate as of 10/02/2025
