Thursday 28 November 2019 17:47, UK
Tyrone Mings has warned his Aston Villa team-mates they will have their work cut out to keep the “wonderfully gifted” Marcus Rashford quiet when they play Manchester United on Sunday.
Mings knows the threat striker Rashford poses after joining up with him for England duty recently.
Villa beat Newcastle 2-0 at home on Monday, while United had to battle to secure a 3-3 draw at Sheffield United over the weekend, and Mings admits they will be keen to pounce on any weaknesses shown by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
"Knowing that he's a good player and knowing how to stop him are two very different things," Mings told Sky Sports News when asked about Rashford.
"He's a fantastic talent - you saw his goal against Chelsea [a stunning free-kick in the Carabao Cup] - and a player who can produce moments of magic.
"Coming on for England - his goal against Kosovo - he's a wonderfully gifted player.
"I think we'll all have our work cut out on Sunday as a back four but we'll be looking to back up our most recent clean sheet with another one."
Despite an indifferent run of form this season that has left them ninth in the Premier League table, Mings insists they must still be wary of a United side that has "world-class players all over the pitch."
Mings added: "I wouldn't say they are there to be got at but I would definitely say that they probably haven't clicked this season as they would have liked to. They're probably quite frustrated with the results that they've had.
"Some of their key players being injured hasn't helped either but we have all respect for every team in the league and Sheffield United are a good team as well, so there's no surprise that they cause teams problems.
"With Man United we'll look at what their weaknesses are and how we can attack them and how we can nullify them.
"They've obviously got world-class players all over the pitch so we'll know full well the challenges that we'll face but we haven't gone to any team so far and been humiliated so that stands us in good stead, knowing that we can go toe-to-toe with anyone.
"Being at such a big club like United obviously comes with massive expectation and I think if you get into a game and things aren't perhaps going well for them on the pitch, naturally fans seem to turn against you.
"So if that situation was to arise then potentially it's something we can use to our advantage."
As for his own progress, Mings admits his career has been greatly boosted since joining Villa, initially on loan in January before the move was made permanent in a £20m deal over the summer.
The 26-year-old has battled back from personal adversity, after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury just six minutes into his Bournemouth debut in September 2015.
But after helping Villa secure promotion back to the Premier League via the Sky Bet Championship play-offs last season, Mings forced his way into England boss Gareth Southgate's plans and is enjoying the most successful period of his career.
"Earlier in the year, things appeared to be going well," said Mings. "We were playing well on the pitch, I was in the Championship and I was re-establishing myself, playing week in, week out.
"Everything that has happened since that, with the promotion and signing for Aston Villa permanently, playing for England. It just seems as though things are going well for myself and the club and we all seem to be moving in the same direction.
"I feel like anyone who is feeling stuck or they can't get a grip on their career, the biggest thing I felt is that you can wrestle control back into your hands with a little bit of patience and a little bit of determination."
