Manchester United are a club that prides itself on developing their own talent.
From the likes of Paul Scholes and David Beckham during the class of 92 to the more recent heroes of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, providing the youth with an opportunity has continued under Erik ten Hag's reign.
The Argentine and English gems are relishing their chance and slowly becoming irreplaceable in the starting XI, with the boss putting his trust in them to perform.
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The aforementioned duo will certainly hope to follow in the footsteps of the United greats and become heroes for the club, with one particular player in the current United squad serving as the perfect role model in terms of his journey through the academy to stardom.
The early days of Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford instantly cemented himself as a Man United hero on his debut, where he scored a brace in the Europa League against Midtjylland, despite only featuring in the starting lineup due to Anthony Martial dropping out minutes before kick-off.
Having progressed through the academy and being a local lad, scoring on his first start will have been a dream come true, but to then net another brace and get an assist in a 3-2 win over Arsenal three days later was insane. Indeed, according to journalist Rob Dawson, Rashford was absolutely "frightening" as an 18-year-old due to his pace and movement.
That was eight years ago this month, and since then, the now-26-year-old has played 338 games for the Red Devils, boasting an impressive record of 128 goals and registering 74 assists.
The number ten has been a key player for every single manager over his United career, and although he has performed to an extremely high level on the whole, his current teammate Casemiro believes that "he can be one of the top five players in the world." Fine praise indeed from a player who has featured alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Marcus Rashford's market value in 2024
The arrival of Ten Hag last season saw Rashford's performances go up to an entirely new level of class, with the winger taking on more goal-scoring responsibility than ever and becoming one of the deadliest attackers in the Premier League.
After the World Cup in Qatar, the England star really began to hit peak form, and he ended the season with 17 goals and five assists. This was the best campaign of his career to date.
However, he has struggled to regain that form this season, with the inconsistencies in the United team hardly being ideal for high-level performance.
That said, we are slowly starting to see that Rashford of last season return, but he has still only netted five goals and provided two assists in 24 matches.
Premier League
24
5
3
Champions League
4
0
2
FA Cup
1
0
1
EFL Cup
1
0
0
Total
30
5
6
Nonetheless, as of today, Rashford is estimated to be worth £86m by CIES' Football Observatory, which makes him the most valuable player in the United squad.
Despite his struggles on the field this season, the winger is still regarded as one of the best left-sided attackers in the Premier League, and due to his perfect blend of technique, athleticism, and pace, along with his proven track record of scoring goals, his value hasn't seen a huge decrease.
Man United did truly hit the jackpot with Rashford, who cost the club nothing as an academy product, and to have a player who has shown his loyalty to the club and been one of the best players over the last decade of frustration isn't something that should be classed as the norm.
