“Watch yourself now. Enjoy it but you’re going to get a lot of media attention; everyone’s going to know you. You’ve gone from no one knowing who you are to a potential superstar…” Those were Michael Carrick’s words to Marcus Rashford after his dream start at Manchester United 10 years ago.
In two matches three days apart, a slight, fresh-faced 18-year-old from Wythenshawe saw his life change forever, scoring four goals that launched a career into the blinding glare of hopeful superstardom. There are fairytales and then there was Rashford’s debut: everything fell into place, the sliding doors moved seamlessly, and a career followed that included more than 400 senior United appearances, 68 England caps and over 150 goals for club and country.
It began with that Europa League night against Midtjylland and continued with a Premier League classic against Arsenal. Rashford not only lived the dream — he became the dream.
Rooney out, Martial injured… What next?
United were amid an injury crisis ahead of the round-of-32 tie with Midtjylland. After an embarrassing first leg, Old Trafford demanded a response, but Wayne Rooney was injured and Anthony Martial went down minutes before kick-off. Louis van Gaal faced a quick decision.
“We came back into the locker room, and the assistants were coming up with all kinds of solutions, except for Marcus,” Frans Hoek, part of Van Gaal’s coaching staff, recalls. “And then, when everybody had said what they had to say, Louis said, ‘We don’t change anything. Marcus goes in. Marcus deserves it. Marcus is doing a good job. He is improving. He is young and I believe in that.’ That was the moment.”
Van Gaal was resting his hopes on someone whose only first-team experience had been a bench appearance at Watford months earlier. Hoek says Van Gaal was never afraid to trust youth: “If they are good enough, then they are old enough.”
‘In the academy, Rashford could do anything he wanted with a football’
From the stands that late change was a surprise — who on earth was this kid? But those in the academy had seen it coming. James Weir, who played with Rashford in United’s academy, remembered him as technically superior and always confident with a ball: “He could do anything he wanted with a football, even doing keepy-ups with a tennis ball.”
Juan Mata recalled Rashford’s first training session with the first team vividly. “He was playing on the right wing,” Mata says. “He was quite thin and quick. He was quite shy off the pitch but he was brave on the pitch… At the end of the session, I was talking with Ander Herrera and he was telling me, ‘did you see this kid? I think he’s going to be a great player’. Ander really saw it since the beginning.”
Mata set up Rashford’s first professional goal in that Midtjylland game, a moment of joy with Rashford’s family in the stands and the start of something special. Three days later, Rashford made his Premier League debut against Arsenal, a day that also saw Timothy Fosu-Mensah and James Weir make their first-team debuts in a 3-2 win at Old Trafford. Weir watched from the dugout as Rashford played a part in all three goals and remembered the buzz around the club.
Weir also recalls a bizarre moment from that Arsenal game: Louis van Gaal mimicking what he thought was a dive by Alexis Sanchez on the touchline, a moment that left Weir bemused on the bench.
Rise, England call-up and later chapters
Rashford didn’t slow down. He played an instrumental role as United won the FA Cup that season, earned his first England call-up and debut goal three months later, and was part of England’s Euro 2016 squad, making two appearances.
After a difficult spell at United, Rashford had back-to-back loans — at Aston Villa and then Barcelona — suggesting his time at Old Trafford may be drawing to a close. Yet there is consensus that he wrote a beautiful chapter at United. Mata reflects: “It is not easy to handle all the expectations and the pressure at the club like Man Utd but I think people will realise that he was a kid and he was a man who gave everything for the club he supported since he was a kid… I think he gave great moments and great memories for many fans.”
Hoek, who has coached at Barcelona, praised Rashford’s attitude and adaptation: “Rashford was an easy guy to work with. Hardworking and not complaining… I have followed his career from United to Barcelona and he is doing some great things there.” At Barcelona Rashford had, by that account, scored 10 goals and assisted 13 in 34 games — a positive experience away from the Premier League.
Weir still hopes the Old Trafford story isn’t finished: “I’d love him to win LaLiga this year, the Champions League… and then he’d come back to United. I think he’d look back when he’s 40 and think, I left the chapter of my career there.”
The beginning was picture-book — a video-game-like storyline to becoming a superstar. The future of Rashford’s career may be uncertain, but there will be no forgetting the fresh-faced 18-year-old from Wythenshawe who lived the dream and became the dream.