Rash star of Ole finishing school
IT WAS fitting that one of United’s brightest young talents should steal the headlines on a day which started with a minute’s applause on the 25th anniversary of Sir Matt Busby’s death.
If there was a nod to the past before Marcus Rashford stole the show, it was the young striker’s future which had interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer purring.
A seventh win on the trot for Solskjaer since taking over from Jose Mourinho and a sixth in the league was sealed, against a decent Brighton side, with a Paul Pogba penalty and a superb centre-forward display from Rashford capped by a brilliant finish for the second.
Pascal Gross ensured nerves jangled until the final whistle with a second-half reply, but this was pretty comfortable for United.
Rashford was central to it until given the tribute of a late substitution. And it was no surprise to hear his manager eulogise about his No10.
“He’s younger than Ronaldo and Rooney in reaching 150 appearances for Manchester United,” said Solskjaer.
“Is he at that level? Yes, definitely, he can be absolutely top class. He’s only 21 but the maturity he is showing at times is more than 21. No one beats him on workrate and no one beats him on attitude.”
Rashford became the fourth youngest to reach 150 at 21 years and 80 days, behind Norman Whiteside, Ryan Giggs and George Best.
And while his goal tally of 41 – this was his ninth this season – may be some way behind Rooney (253), Ronaldo (118) or even Solskjaer (126), his manager and team-mates believe he has the ability to scale similar heights.
Ashley Young said: “I’ve said it from the time he broke into the team and even before then, he can be an unbelievable talent, he’s got the world ahead of him. He wants to learn as well. He’s a STRIKING A POSE: Pogba celebrates putting United ahead man ahead of his age. He looks as if he’s been playing for years and the finish was unbelievable. He was actually off balance. “It’s a sight for us back players to see, the forwards running at defenders like that. I wouldn’t want to see him running at me.” Solskjaer has spent time on the training ground with Rashford in an effort to improve his finishing, trying to get him to relax and perfect the art of passing the ball beyond the keeper rather than blasting it. Rashford showed it was time not wasted when taking his goal, receiving the ball from Diogo Dalot on the left side of the area and curling the ball calmly inside the far post. It was the high point of another vibrant United performance. Young said of Solskjaer tutoring Rashford: “He’s not a bad person to learn off, is he? Marcus is on the training pitch all the time and at times you have to drag him off.” Chris Hughton’s Brighton pushed hard for an equaliser but came up short. But defender Lewis Dunk said the Seagulls, who beat United at home earlier in the season, left Old Trafford proud of their second-half display.
“We were disappointed at the break and the manager spoke to us about that,” he said. “We reacted well and that’s the positive to take. We were excellent in the second half and if we’d played like that in the first then we could have got something.”
MAN UNITED (4-3-3): De Gea 5; Young 5, Jones 5, Lindelof 6, Dalot 6; Herrera 6, Matic 5, Pogba 6; Lingard 5 (Mata 75, 6), Rashford 8 (Darmian 90), Martial 7 (Lukaku 82). Booked: Rashford. Goals: Pogba 27 pen, Rashford 42. NEXT UP: Arsenal (a), FAC Fri. BRIGHTON (4-5-1): Button 5; Montoya 6, Duffy 5, Dunk 6, Bong 6; March 6 (Knockaert 60, 6), Gross 6 (Kayal 82), Stephens 6, Propper 6, Locadia 7; Murray 5 (Andone 60, 6). Goal: Gross 72. NEXT UP: West Brom (h), FAC Sat. Referee: P Tierney (Lancs).