Manchester United and Real Madrid fans alike reacted with incredulity when the rumours of Marcus Rashford being a Real Madrid target broke. Zinedine Zidane apparently sent scouts to watch the United teen sensation against Scotland but given that he didn’t get minutes for the Three Lions, Real Madrid will have to wait to watch Rashford in action.
The youngster’s meteoric rise after starting as a relative unknown to rescue Manchester United’s Europa League campaign has been the stuff of fairytales, and moving to Real Madrid would truly be the icing on the cake. If the move does materialise, Real Madrid can look forward to a player that could become one of the greatest players in the world.
Here are 5 reasons why Marcus Rashford would be perfect for Real Madrid.
#1 Availability
Let’s get the biggest stumbling block to Real Madrid’s purchase of Marcus Rashford out of the way – Los Blancos are under a transfer ban for the next two windows. Oddly enough, this makes Marcus Rashford much more of a legitimate a target for the La Liga giants, as it is far more likely that a young player will be on an upward curve when they can sign players.
One year is a long time in football – Rashford could be afforded the chance to further his development right until Madrid can swoop in and offer him the move in January 2018. Conversely, it could also ensure that Rashford has enough time to grow frustrated with the limited opportunities he gets under Jose Mourinho, especially with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the line.
As for Real Madrid, they are probably already aware that prising Rashford away from his boyhood club will be a tall ask. Yet for the likes of Florentino Perez, a massive sum will not be out of Real Madrid’s capabilities – Manchester United would be sufficiently tempted if Rashford is keen on leaving for more playing time and Madrid offer a suitably huge fee.
#2 Solves Real Madrid’s long-term striking issues
It’s rather emblematic of the state of football that great strikers like Karim Benzema still have questions surrounding their contribution. There are many Madridistas who believe that the Frenchman is still only in Madrid’s lineup because he is a personal favourite of Florentino Perez. Look closer though, and there is merit to that argument.
To be the top club in the world, you have to have the best striker in the world – which Benzema is not, and Morata can never become, despite his obvious talent. Marcus Rashford is comfortably far away from that right now, but the teen sensation has the potential to be the best striker in the world - he's already the best striker in his country, according to Rio Ferdinand.
Benzema and Alvaro Morata are good strikers, no doubt, but you would be hard-pressed to remember a moment when they fashioned a goal out of nothing. Despite just being a year old in professional terms, Rashford has already scored superb solo goals, such as those against Manchester City and West Ham.
Real Madrid have had a central striking issue ever since Raul left, and signing Marcus Rashford could solve those problems for a decade or more.
#3 The marketing boost
Real Madrid are comfortably the richest club in the world, and a large part of that is due to their excellent marketing, making them the most popular club in the world. However, La Liga are growing increasingly concerned with the popularity of the Premier League in emerging markets like India and China – the Spanish Federation opening offices in India reveals that nervousness.
Getting Marcus Rashford in would serve as a dual marketing boost – fans in the UK would be interested to see how an English player (and possibly the national side’s talisman in the next few years) is performing, while Asian fans of Manchester United would find a reason to watch La Liga.
In addition, Rashford represents a new generation of stars, as Leo Messi and Cristiano fade with time. Apart from Marco Asensio, Madrid don't have a future star they could legitimately name, although Gareth Bale could hold fort in the coming years.
#4 Offset’s Ronaldo’s decline and goal-scoring burden
The signs are already there – after probably the best season of his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has struggled to get going this season, apart from a recent hat-trick. Yet, it is inevitable that the Real Madrid forward will fail to reach the astronomical heights of goal-scoring he has reached in the previous seasons.
Madrid showed tremendous faith in giving Ronaldo a contract until the age of 36, but they cannot count on him for that long, surely. Gareth Bale’s increasing stature within the squad will ensure that as Ronaldo fades away, Madrid can still maintain their performance levels.
Rashford coming in would offer Madrid another player to take up the goal-scoring burden – despite playing primarily as a winger, Rashford averages a goal every two games for Manchester United in the Premier League, which is especially impressive given that most of his appearances are as a substitute.
As a central striker at Real Madrid, Rashford would plunder in the goals, especially given the creativity behing him,
#5 Gives Zidane a Plan B
Real Madrid are UEFA Champions League winners and are on a run that could end up setting unbeaten records. Yet, there is still a nagging feeling that Madrid are on tenterhooks tactically. Zidane has struggled to rejig his side in the absence of Casemiro, with his side unable to change up their style of play.
Madrid are heavily reliant on the central striker dropping deep and then laying off the balls to the onrushing duo of Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale. Often times, Madrid are reliant on the individual talents of their superstars to bail them out.
Signing Marcus Rashford offers Zidane tactical flexibility – the youngster is full of running and could be an option on the wings, while also offering Madrid a Plan B if he starts through the middle. Madrid rarely have to rely on defensive, counter-attacking football, but Rashford could be perfect as a speedy striker, with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos supplying him through balls.
