Man Utd defender Matteo Darmian has clearly been impressed by what he’s seen from Marcus Rashford to this point, and expects him to be a top player.
After bursting on the scene in his breakout season last year with eight goals in 18 games, things have slowed down for the 19-year-old this time round.
Rashford has scored just nine goals in 43 appearances for United this year, although the managerial change affected that with Jose Mourinho rotating and bringing Zlatan Ibrahimovic in as his first-choice forward after his arrival at Old Trafford last summer.
Nevertheless, the teenager has seemingly made a big impression on Darmian who knows a world class player when he sees one having played in Italy and with the Azzurri, and he’s backing Rashford to become a genuine star.
“I think Marcus is a great player,” Darmian told reporters, as noted by ESPN FC. “He is still very, very young and I think he is very important for us. With his quality, he can be one of the top players, one of the most important players in the world.
“I think he is very good in every part of the game — he has a very good shot, movement, speed.”
The England international was on the mark this past weekend with a crucial goal in the 2-0 win over Chelsea, with the result keeping United’s hopes of a top four finish in the Premier League alive.
In turn, Mourinho will hope that the goal sparks a bit of form for the youngster between now and the end of the campaign as he has been critical of his strikers in recent weeks for their lack of a clinical edge in the final third which has proven costly.
Nevertheless, they’re still in a strong position to finish in the top four while they’re still on course in the Europa League, and so it may yet be a very positive season for all concerned at Old Trafford.