Marcus Rashford Is The Real Deal

18-year-old striker Marcus Rashford has revitalized Manchester United and Louis Van Gaal

Every Premier League season has its fair share of dramatic storylines. Whether it’s a cameo appearance of a squad player, or a Cinderella story of a club punching far above its weight, the possibilities are endless.

This season may be remembered for Leicester City’s improbably rise to the top of the league but for Manchester United fans it may be remembered as the year Marcus Rashford emerged from the club’s reserves to become a star. The young striker has been at United since he was 9-years-old and may be at the club for another decade-plus.

It all changed for Rashford on the night that United were set to face FC Midtjylland in the Europa League staring down a 2-1 deficit from the first leg. Injuries had given him a place on the bench but a further injury to Anthony Martial forced him in to the starting lineup and in to the spotlight.

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He responded to that magical moment with a debut for the ages, scoring twice against the Danish club and helping United advance to the next round. Those goals made him the club’s youngest ever goalscorer in European competition, beating club legend George Best’s record. His performance was lauded but still as a bit of a fluke as it came against such poor opposition.

Next up for the youngster was his Premier League debut and he put on another performance for the ages. With two goals and an assist in an improbable win against Arsenal at Old Trafford, Marcus Rashford etched his name in to United fans’ hearts for good. Only two matches in to his career and he was already a star.

As if all that was not enough, after a scoring “drought” of five games, Rashford popped up once again to score an important goal for United. In his Manchester Derby debut at the Etihad Stadium, the youngster bested Martin Demichelis and scored the only goal in a tight affair to help boost the club’s top four hopes.

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All of this has lead to many fans speculating on his future and some even called for him to be called up to the England squad for UEFA Euro 2016. While all of that is premature for such a young player, one thing is certain, he has the ability to play at the top level.

At just 18-years-old, Rashford still has much to learn about how to play the position and has plenty of time to continue working on his mental and physical development. He is at a club that despite its size prizes its academy players and often gives them a chance to play in the first team.

From the limited sample size we have seen of Rashford, we can see that he is a willing runner and is physically capable of withstanding the rigors of Premier League football. Equally important is the mental side of the game and the pressure of playing for a club and he has handled that as well.

It may be too soon to crown him as the next great goalscorer for Manchester United or England but it is not too soon that he is a capable player at this level of the game. He may not be world class quite yet but he is certainly the real deal and not a flash in the pan.