Aston Villa players' true feelings on Marcus Rashford emerge as group chat message revealed

The true feelings of Aston Villa players towards new signing Marcus Rashford appear to have been revealed by a group chat message.

Rashford signed for Villa on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season in February.

He has so far been eased into the first team by manager Unai Emery, having been frozen out at United by Ruben Amorim.

Friday's 2-0 win over Cardiff in the FA Cup fifth round saw the 27-year-old make his second start in six appearances for Villa.

And Rashford registered his third assist in Villa colours, with Marco Asensio putting the finishing touches on his cross to make it 1-0.

He now has the same number of assists for the Midlands side as he did across 24 appearances for United this term.

His loan deal reportedly contains an option for Villa to sign him permanently at the end of the season for a set fee, believed to be £40 million.

And if one group chat message is anything to go by, Villa players would be more than happy to see the 27-year-old sign on the dotted line.

Villa youngster Cole Brannigan, 17, has not yet made his debut for the club but has trained alongside Rashford and other members of the senior squad this season.

Aston Villa winger Cole Brannigan pictured (Image: Getty)

Speaking in an interview with Northern Irish outlet News Letter, Brannigan said: "He's by far the best player I've seen technically. With the ball, he was absolutely ridiculous. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"We have a family group chat, and I just put in, 'Marcus Rashford is absolutely ridiculous'.

"Having Marcus Rashford at the club, he's someone for me to look up to. The club do a good job in asking those players questions, so you try and use that to improve your own game."

Young winger Brannigan could be playing alongside Rashford in the coming years if the England international does decide to remain at Villa Park.

The 17-year-old, a Northern Ireland youth international, signed his first professional contract in July 2024 and has made two appearances in the Premier League 2 - the top level of domestic U21 competition - this season.

He previously came through the junior ranks at Northern Irish giants Linfield and joined Villa in the summer of 2023.