MARC OF CLASS RESCUES LOUIS
Rashford double is just what Van Gaal ordered for Europe
Fletcher MOSS, in south Manchester near the river Mersey, sounds like a firm of solicitors. In reality, this little football club is in the business of producing bundles of talent for Manchester United — and the occasional hero. last night, it delivered a new one: 18-year- old Marcus rashford.
there are photographs of him in Fletcher Moss’s distinctive blue and white yoked colours with his new United team-mate, cameron Borthwick- Jackson. Wes Brown, Danny Welbeck and ravel Morrison also came through those ranks.
None will have enjoyed a debut quite as memorable as rashford’s last night: two goals — important ones — as United swept into the europa league’s last 16 with a pressure-releasing 5-1 win over Danish champions Midtjylland.
rashford began the night as a battlefield promotion and ended it at the head of a victory parade.
he was quite magnificent, patient when chances were few in the first half, explosive and clinical at just the point when United needed a match-winner. this is exactly what his tutors have been demanding of him this season. A little less cristiano ronaldo, a little more ruud van Nistelrooy.
rashford was a support striker, a No 10, the scorer of wonder goals, but not the type who decided the match. then he was converted to a No 9. his first goal for the Under 21s in his new position came as recently as December.
Yesterday, he played as if to the manor born.
Both of rashford’s goals — the second that brought United level on aggregate and the third that took them ahead, before the roof fell in on Midtjylland — came from close range.
they were of a type that Anthony Martial, who rashford replaced at short notice, would have wanted to score. except Martial hasn’t scored two goals in a game for United since Southampton in September.
Indeed, he has only scored two goals since January 2 and rashford has done it on his debut.
In a season of disappointment, the fans just love the happy diversion of a local boy made good and United’s lengthy injury list could even give rashford a run in the team. Who can deny that he has earned it? What more could he have done to take his chance?
Martial was United’s latest prematch calamity. having lost David de Gea in the warm-up in the first leg, Martial limped away here.
that United ended up recruiting a teenager for his debut in such an important game should have exposed louis van Gaal’s folly, going into this season with such a small squad.
Instead, rashford proved a lifesaver, maybe even a job-saver, with Van Gaal increasingly seeing victory in this tournament as United’s best route to the champions league next season.
If that happens — and there is some way to go — rashford’s role will be immense, even if he does not start another european game.
he was outstanding here, quick, direct, everything United have been missing.
the scoreline makes it look as if the outcome was never in doubt. But it was. Midtjylland scored first and in that moment led 3-1 on aggregate.
United had dominated until that point but, even so, it was a scare.
credit to them, then — particularly the young players, including Joe riley playing only his second game — for responding so well to the challenge.
Maybe senior players with more baggage would have buckled. Youth, and rashford in particular, tend to see the opportunity instead. From the 16th minute, when he forced a good save from Midtjylland goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen, rashford looked ready to take the game on.
even so, to go behind was a shock. United had been hugely on top when Midtjylland scored from their first real attack. It was dismal defending from Manchester United, mind you, Morgan Schneiderlin failing to put any pressure on the midfield andnd striker Marcoco Urena finding ing Pione Sisto, who followed up an impressive performanceerformance in the away leg with a real attention-grabber here.
he left Daley Blind for dead, Michael carrick went to ground far too easily and Sisto fired low into the far corner, out of reach of goalkeeper Sergio romero.
he celebrated by pointing to the name on the back of his shirt. Nobody is going to be forgetting it any time soon.
Bad news for Slaven Bilic, who had rather hoped to make Sisto an early summer signing for West ham. he may face more than a little competition now.
It was vital that United responded immediately and they did. Midtjylland continued to defend too deep for manager Jess thorup’s liking and in the 32nd minute it cost them. Memphis Depay got in around the back on the left and centre half Nikolay Bodurov turned his cross into his own net. It had been coming. United’s next attack saw Midtjylland scrambling wildly and failing to clear, the general air of chaos fittingly finished with a Schneiderlin overhead kick that travelled just wide.
Schneiderlin’s header hit a post before United got the breakthrough that should have established a halftime lead. Andre romer lunged in on Ander herrera and hungarian referee Istvan Vad had no option but to award a penalty.
Up stepped Juan Mata, but his low effort to the left was weak and Andersen tipped it clear, to the delight of the visiting fans.
the second half, however, saw a patched together United team pulling together and pulling through and rashford’s performance in particular was a joy to behold.
his first goal, bringing the tie level 3-3 on aggregate, came after 63 minutes when Mata cut a ball back after Midtjylland defender romer mistakenly slowed, thinking it was going out. In came rashford, sharper and faster than anyone in the area, to finish smartly past Andersen.
his next, taking United ahead, was a finish from close range from a Guillermo Varela cross — a glorified tap-in for the likes of Van Nistelrooy, although high class in both execution and creation.
It was exactly what United had wanted from the young man. even Van Gaal smiled, punching the arm of his assistant ryan Giggs in ‘told you’ fashion; or maybe it was Giggs who had done the telling.
United now rampant, Midtjylland collapsed. herrera converted the fourth from the penalty spot after 87 minutes, following a handball by Kian hansen, blocking Depay’s shot. romer was then sent off for his second bookable offence and Depay finally found his range from 20 yards to score a fifth after 90 minutes. It did not dilute that rashford was the hero.
he won’t forget this one in a hurry. he shouldn’t have to wait too long for the next, either.