What Zinedine Zidane said about Aston Villa's latest recruit amid massive Messi claim
Aston Villa have signed one of the Ligue 1's most creative players in Marco Asensio. The 27-year-old joins Unai Emery’s squad on loan until the end of the season, although Paris Saint-Germain are thought to be open about Villa extending the Spain international’s spell for the next campaign too.
Asensio was made available for a loan last month after only starting eight Ligue 1 games and two Champions League phase matches, while he sat on the bench for 12 of PSG’s games this term. He becomes Villa’s fourth signing of the winter window after the arrivals of Donyell Malen, Andres Garcia and Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United. He replaced Jhon Duran, while Asensio was targeted to take Emi Buendia’s place in the squad.
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Asensio joined PSG in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Real Madrid. He won the Champions League three times with the Spanish giants and a trio of La Liga title too. His former boss Zinedine Zidane even compared him to a Barcelona icon.
"Zidane told me that since Messi, he had never seen a left foot like mine," Asensio told COPE in 2017. "I was a little impressed, because Messi is a piece of a footballer."
Last season, Asensio scored four goals and made five assists in 19 league games, while he has made 12 Ligue 1 appearances this term, scoring twice and assisting four times. But it’s his underlying numbers which are most impressive and place him as a chief creator in the French top-flight. Last season, Asensio recorded the highest expected assists per 90 value (0.35) of any player in Ligue 1, while this season he has made the most assists per 90 (0.58).
No player has registered a greater shot-creating actions per 90 (5.39) figure than Asensio either this season, while he has made the second most goal-creating actions per 90 (1.02). Only one player has registered a greater shots on target per 90 (2.04) and shots total per 90 (3.79) value than the playmaker too.
Asensio can operate as a false nine, off the right or as a number 10, with his versatility being a major benefit for Emery, who has an embarrassment of riches in the attacking areas of the pitch.
