Ashley Young: ‘Marcus Rashford is a special talent’

Manchester United full-back Ashley Young has hailed teammate Marcus Rashford as a “special talent” and believes that the striker will enjoy a bright future in the game.

Rashford initially earned his place in the United team by virtue of injuries to first-team players in February 2016, but he quickly established himself as a regular for the Red Devils and even earned a place in England’s European Championship squad that summer.

The 20-year-old has since developed into one of the most highly-rated young players in world football, but Young insists that he has not been surprised by the meteoric rise.

“I saw him when he was coming up through the ranks at United. He obviously got his debut straight away and kicked on from there. I always said all along, for me, he’s a special talent. He was always going to go a long way,” he told reporters.

“Even now he’s got his feet on the ground and he wants to learn. He just wants to better himself each day. I think the manager is having to drag him off the training pitch every day because he is just wanting to better himself. It’s refreshing to see a kid like that just wanting to get to the top.

“For me, as a senior pro, you got the chance to watch the Under-18s and you could tell he was going to be a big talent. Speaking to him even at that young age, he was one of them who just wanted to learn and to be the best. I’m delighted for him because he wants to work and learn and he’s doing fantastically well.”

Rashford has scored 26 goals in 89 appearances across all competition since breaking into the United first team.