Aston Villa sporting director Monchi has opened up on the club's signing of Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United in February. The Reds academy graduate made a surprise move to Villa last month amid reported interest from Barcelona and Juventus. The switch followed Rashford's struggles under United boss Ruben Amorim , with the forward not playing for the Reds since their 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen on December 12 last year. However, the 27-year-old has rediscovered his form in Birmingham, providing three assists in nine games for Unai Emery's team. His performances have helped catapult Villa into the Champions League quarter-finals, where they will play against Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in April. Rashford also earned a call-up to the England setup under Thomas Tuchel. The winger played in both games against Albania and Latvia during the March international break. Now, Villa's Monchi has sung the praises of his club for helping United's attacker to rediscover some form. "Unai is a coach who has historically helped players grow,” Monchi told Radio Marca via BirminghamLive . “There are players like Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio who have improved since Unai arrived. "Coming here makes players better, and that's our main selling point, beyond offering a project that's fighting for the top eight in the Champions League , that wants to continue growing, and that wants to keep playing in Europe." Amorim previously said he allowed Rashford to leave United because the pair did not see eye-to-eye. "I couldn't get Marcus to see the way you're supposed to play football and to train the way I see it," he said. "Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different. "I wish the best to Rashford and to [Villa manager] Unai Emery, and they can connect because he's a very good player." Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .