While all of the Old Trafford faithful and most of the footballing universe have been surprised by the assured displays of 18-year-old Marcus Rashford, Manchester United legend Paul Scholes was always aware of the youngster’s talent. Scholes made the revelation that Rashford is yet to show his full array of skills, claiming that his Ronaldo-esque free-kicks are yet to be seen.
Speaking to Manchester United fanzine United We Stand, Scholes revealed his lack of surprise at Rashford’s breakthrough having observed the youngster for the last few years, saying “Rashford is no surprise to me at all. I’ve seen him play since he was 14 or 15 and then in Paul McGuiness’s [ex-Under 18 boss] side.You always knew the talent was there.”
Scholes also noted that we are yet to see the full range of Rashfor’s skills, saying “He’s obviously only played a few times for the first team and his goals have been what you’d call ‘goalscorers’ goals’ but he’s got so much more than that. He’s quick and he’s good outside the box and he can smash a ball too.”
“You’ve not seen any yet, but he hits free kicks in a dipping fashion, almost the way [Cristiano] Ronaldo does.”
Scholes describes Van Gaal as ‘irrelevant’
Paul Scholes had a rather soft-spoken image as a player, but has shed that image in his current role as a TV pundit. The Englishman was famously critical of Manchester United’s insipid display against Liverpool in the UEFA Europa League, calling the performance ‘shambolic’ – which resulted in Louis van Gaal labelling his concerns as ‘not important’.
Scholes clarified his comments further, saying “People keep saying I’ve been critical of the current “regime”. It’s not the regime I’ve had a go at. I’ve criticised the style of play. I’m not ar**d who the manager is, it’s irrelevant really.”
Having spent the entirety of his career in a Manchester United side that thrilled and excited supporters, Scholes is more interested in United’s style of play, saying “'I just want to see a Man United team play football the way a Man United team should do and that hasn’t happened. I don’t care who the manager is, whether it’s Louis van Gaal or Ryan Giggs or whatever.”
With Rashford and a host of other exciting youngsters such as Fosu-Mensah making their breakthroughs in the United lineup under Louis van Gaal, perhaps it won’t be long before Scholes is singing a much kinder tune.
