ON THE MARC He’s 19 and in love with football, says Jose
Teenager steps up to give Jose’s men shot at Euro glory
Jose Mourinho praised the quality and maturity of Marcus rashford after the teenager put Manchester united on course for the europa League final with a stunning winner against Celta Vigo last night.
rashford’s free-kick secured a 1-0 first-leg win and Mourinho said: ‘he’s a 19-year- old kid in love with football, a kid who finishes a training session, who stays half an hour more to take free-kicks. it’s his mentality.
‘he works, he works, he works. he’s very mature and let’s forget the age
It is by no means as spectacular or as eye-catching as what is going on in Madrid, obviously, but in his own sweet way Marcus Rashford is dragging his team to a European final, much in the manner of Cristiano Ronaldo. His goals are winning the big matches.
CR7 is doing it with avalanches. Scoring hat-tricks, setting records. He is a phenomenon. Rashford is simply scoring the odd one. But his timing is perfect and, also, he is just 19. Who knows what he will have achieved by the time he is Ronaldo’s age, given the opportunity?
He has done it twice now. In the last game with Anderlecht, winning United’s quarter-final in extra time. And now this: a quite spectacular free-kick to hand his side the win and the all-important away goal, too, in the semi-final.
that he wishes to take the responsibility in these moments makes it all the more special. the £89million Paul Pogba takes freekicks, too. So does Daley Blind. Even with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney absent, there are dead-ball specialists throughout this team who would fancy their chances. Yet Rashford is unfazed by that. He made it his job to win the game, just as Ronaldo does at Real Madrid. He gets the glory if he scores, but the brickbats if he doesn’t.sn’t.
Mourinho has commplained that his s forwards are shot- shy and fail to make the most of their chances. It is the youngest of them all who has taken that criticism to heart, and responded on the e biggest occasions.
With Mourinho as good as giving up on the top four, these twoo matches against Celta Vigo and, he hopes, the Europa League final are the most important in United’s schedule now. this is the way he can meet the basic requirement of his first year in the job: to return the club to the Champions League.
So it matters that Rashford has emerged as a European matchwinner, it matters that he accepts the challenge laid down by Ibrahimovic’s injury. He will be aware that United have shown interest in Antoine Griezmann and Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe. He knows what the arrival of two world-class strikers would do to his prospects. So Rashford has a slim window to demonstrate that he should be United’s No 9, or at least in the mix. And he is taking it.
United had squandered several first-half chances — none of them Rashford’s fault — when he won the free-kick that led to the goal. It was a strong, brave run and it drew a foul from Celta Vigo captain Hugo Mallo. Rashford and Blind stood over the ball. Blind made the dummy run and stepover, Rashford hit it curling on the diagonal, out of the reach of goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez.
With the runners disturbing Sergio’s sight-lines, it seemed like one that had been worked on in training. Even so, it still required Rashford’s perfect execution. He ran, arms outstretched like wings, to the United bench, where he was embraced by several coaches. Mourinho seemed preoccupied with instructions elsewhere.
What confidence, though. What courage. Mark Hughes was the last homegrown striker to top United’s goalscorers charts, but Rashford surely has the potentpotential to be the next, if he gets the chance. ththat he shows no fefear in European games — indeed, like Harry Kane at tottenham, the Europa League was his breakthrough tournament — can only bbode well if United do make it to the ChaChampions League. And they should. Celta VigoVig are dangerous, bbutt Uniteditd are better and deserved this win. that the lead is just one goal leaves them vulnerable but the La Liga table that shows Vigo in 11th position, behind the likes of Alaves and Eibar, suggests the odds are heavily in United’s favour.
What looked to be a hamstring injury for Ashley Young is disheartening, and Rashford limped off late but they should still have enough in the return. Indeed, they could have been home and hosed had they taken their early chances.
It was a familiar tale in that respect. Plenty of possession, some very good opportunities, not enough goals. Pogba had a storming game and was unlucky not to win a free-kick in a dangerous area when he was shoulder charged to the ground by defensive midfielder Nemanja Radoja. that name must translate as ‘ Uncompromising Serbian’ given the style of play of those who possess it. Vidic, Matic — not the gentlest bunch, are they?
How many more should United have scored? two, at least. No blame attached over the first chance, Sergio keeping out a curling shot from Rashford after 21 minutes, diving full length to tip the ball around the far post.
More should have come from a counter-attacking move after 32 minutes, however, Henrikh Mkhitaryan putting in a lovely cross, Jesse Lingard sliding in but unable to get a firm touch on it.
No mitigation for the chance in the 40th minute, either. the young team combined: Rashford finding Lingard who, with only Sergio to beat, planted his shot at him. Very wasteful. Lingard also put a halfvolley wide after 75 minutes.
the best of it for Vigo came early. Just 12 minutes had gone when Radoja played in a ball that found Daniel Wass in space at the far post. At the very least, he should have forced a save from Sergio Romero, instead he steered a header several yards wide.
Vigo had a few long-range efforts, but only one had United worried when a 60th-minute shot from Pione Sisto — who scored against them, home and away, for Midtjylland in this tournament last season — clipped the boot of Ander Herrera. It looped up and looked to have defeated Romero, only for the goalkeeper to regain his positioning and flip it over. He has been an excellent understudy
this season and for United to lose David de Gea this summer would no longer be the crisis it was once thought.
When Liverpool lost 3-1 here in 1998, cars circled the centre honking celebratory horns almost until daybreak, but the ground emptied quickly and quietly at the end this time. They know.
There is a legitimate claim that this, Celta Vigo’s first appearance in the semi-finals of a major UEFA tournament, is the biggest game in the history of the club — but they are unlikely to be present for the final in Stockholm later this month.
On this showing, United will be going for a second trophy under Mourinho, and a place in the Champions League. Not a bad return for his first season and one that should ensure Rashford’s contribution is not simply consigned to memory.