Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Marcus Rashford can follow in Neymar's footsteps, says former Manchester United player Paul Scholes

Scholes said the youngster has the the attributes to be as good as Neymar one day

Samuel Lovett
Saturday 22 April 2017 11:10 BST
Comments
Marcus Rashford celebrates his winner against Anderlecht on Thursday night
Marcus Rashford celebrates his winner against Anderlecht on Thursday night (Getty)

Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford has the talent to follow in the footsteps of Barcelona forward Neymar, Paul Scholes believes.

Rashford first made a name for himself last season, scoring eight goals in 18 appearances under former manager Louis van Gaal, but has been forced to wait for his moment since Jose Mourinho took over last summer.

That moment came in United’s recent clash with Chelsea, in which the 19-year-old struck early on to put the home side ahead and inspire an important 2-0 victory over the league leaders.

Rashford followed this up with an extra-time winner in United’s Europa League quarter-final tie against Anderlecht to see the side through to the last four of the competition.

In light of such performances, Scholes has said he would like to see Mourinho give Rasford the chance to develop in a central position and is confident the youngster has the attributes to be as good as Neymar one day.

“He has always been a centre forward. When I saw him playing for the young United teams, he was scoring 30-40 goals a season,” Scholes told BBC Radio 5 live.

“I know this lad can finish and score goals. I am just a little bit worried that he is so quick he may get shoved out wide, which is not a bad thing.

“You look at Cristiano Ronaldo’s record and players like Neymar, he has that kind of ability. It is a lot to live up to but he has that in him. He can be a world star.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in