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Do Manchester United or Manchester City have the better young striker?

By Rucker Haringey

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 second leg match between Manchester United and FC Midtjylland at Old Trafford on February 25, 2016 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 second leg match between Manchester United and FC Midtjylland at Old Trafford on February 25, 2016 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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Who has the edge: Marcus Rashford or Kelechi Iheanacho?

This weekend’s Manchester Derby is full of captivating story lines. One of the most interesting is whether or not Manchester United or Manchester City have the best young striker. United fans are convinced that Marcus Rashford is the savior of Old Trafford while City supporters believe Kelechi Iheanacho is destined to be the next Sergio Aguero. It begs the question of which starlet is best?

Many pundits are focused on the psychological warfare between managers Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola this weekend, but not me. I’m much more interested to see if one of the two young, exciting strikers in the match can make the difference for their club.

The two stars have a lot in common. Both have burst onto the Premier League scene relatively quickly, and at a very young age. Both players are likely to become superstars before their careers are through. There are, however, some significant differences between the two as well.

If you’re trying to identify which player is best at the current point in time, Rashford has to be your choice. By every objective measure he’s accomplished significantly more in his career than Iheanacho. Ever since his late season introduction last year, he’s been excellent for both club and country. There’s no question that he’s ready to shoulder the starting load at Manchester United already.

Unfortunately for Rashford, he’s blocked by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney at the moment. I suspect he’ll be able to supplant the English captain sooner rather than later, but probably not in time for this weekend’s Manchester Derby. Don’t let Rashford’s lack of opportunities fool you, he’s still the more polished of the two young strikers.

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Iheanacho, on the other hand, still needs quite a bit of skill development. He’s surely going to get that under Pep Guardiola, but he has more to learn than Rashford. That doesn’t mean he isn’t ready for a prominent Premier League role as well, but he isn’t going to supplant Sergio Aguero to lead the City attack anytime soon.

The young Nigerian isn’t as ready to make an immediate impact as Rashford, but I’m inclined to bet heavily on his long-term potential. His explosive athleticism and keen eye for goal give him a higher ceiling than his Manchester United counterpart. The English international is a better player today, but Iheanacho will surpass him in time.

That isn’t news that Manchester United fans are going to like hearing, but from an objective point of view, that’s where I set. Rashford is better today, but it’s only a matter of time before Iheanacho overtakes him. Manchester City fans need to be a little patient, but they should have the better hitman in the long run.

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