Marcus Rashford is working hard to hit the ground running at Aston Villa by putting himself through gruelling extra training sessions, according to reports. Rashford is preparing for his Villa debut after joining on loan from Manchester United in the January transfer window's dying embers.

The 27-year-old hasn't played since December 12, when United boss Ruben Amorim hauled him off the pitch in a 2-1 win at Viktoria Plzen.

Amorim raised eyebrows by excluding Marcus Rashford from his squad in the derby victory at Manchester City days later, citing poor training performance.

And the England international's absence in Sunday's defeat to Crystal Palace was his 13th in a row as he sought after an Old Trafford exit route.

Unai Emery offered one, adding Rashford to his ranks as part of a busy winter transfer window at Villa Park.

Rashford has reportedly taken extra steps to impress the Spanish coach instantly and develop match sharpness after two months out.

According to The Sun, Villa's new No. 9 impressed Emery by opting against taking two days off with his new team-mates at the start of this week.

Instead, Rashford volunteered to check in at Bodymoor Heath for an intense training session, spending time in the gym and on the pitch.

Rashford is said to have been a model professional while shaking off the cobwebs in Birmingham, quickly striking a strong impression with his new peers.

It's claimed that the ex-Red Devils forward has further shown his commitment by searching for a local property to avoid commuting from Manchester.

The report adds that the noise emerging from Villa is that Rashford has the bit between his teeth and is determined to get his career back on track this season.

His long-term future at United is unlikely with Amorim at the helm, even if Villa don't trigger the £40m buy option in his contract this summer.

And Amorim has admitted he's "thankful" that Rashford is no longer at his disposal after failing to strike a tune out of the academy graduate.

"I couldn't get Marcus to see the way you're supposed to play football and to train the way I see it," the United boss explained on Thursday.

"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."