What’s the story?
According to a report from SkySports, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has revealed that he believes Marcus Rashford could one day surpass the scoring feats of legends Sir Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney at the club.
The Portuguese mastermind did add that it will be extremely tough to go anywhere near that record in the modern era but Rashford has it in him to do the impossible.
He said, "I don't know the distances, really, but I think the ones that are close are players that left United already. So, especially in modern football, I see it is really difficult. I don't know, who knows?
"Marcus, he is 19. If he plays Man United until the end of his career, maybe Marcus can do it but Rooney scored a lot of goals."
In case you didn’t know…
Earlier on Saturday, United captain Rooney equaled Sir Bobby’s record of the highest number of goals scored across all competitions for the club. The 31-year-old striker netted United’s first of the game and his 249th goal for the club in the FA Cup fixture against Reading.
Sir Bobby, of course, was watching from his usual spot in the stands as Rooney equaled his feat. One more goal from the former Everton striker would see him surpass the legend of the past while setting an impossibly high bar for the youngsters.
Heart of the matter
Rashford, who burst onto the scene with a brace on his debut last February, is heralded as a future United star. The 19-year-old Wythenshawe boy has already netted 14 times across all competitions in less than twelve months at the senior level.
However, he did have a slump in form after being deployed on the flanks by Mourinho with Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking the role of the centre-forward. On Saturday, he scored twice in United’s 4-0 victory to bounce back emphatically.
What next?
Given that he is so young, Rashford will only improve from here on. In the form of Ibrahimovic and Rooney, he has two excellent guides to help him through his early years. It is already evident that Ibrahimovic is making a mark off the pitch as well by serving as the perfect ideal mentor for the youngsters.
Sportskeeda’s take
Rashford is well on course for greatness. It is unimaginable how a lanky teenager could achieve so much in his first year at the senior level. Many United youngsters have shown promise early on to fade away after a few months, but Rashford seems to be cut from an altogether different cloth.
Mourinho’s prediction could well come true if Rashford manages to stay injury free and goes on to realise his full potential.
