Marcus Rashford debut reminiscent of Wayne Rooney's Manchester United bow as youngster goes from U18s striker to Euro hero with brace against Midtjylland
* Striker Marcus Rashford scored brace on his Manchester United debut
* The younsgter started in Europa League after Anthony Martial was injured
* Debut similar to Wayne Rooney's who scored three on United bow in 2004
* Louis van Gaal's side defeated Midtjylland 5-1 to progress to last 16
It has to be the most meteoric rise in Manchester United's dramatic and illustrious history.
Striker Marcus Rashford has gone from Under 18s to European hero in just a couple of months, and his match-winning debut against Midtjylland was reminiscent of another 18-year-old debutant, Wayne Rooney, who scored a hat-trick against Fenerbahce in 2004.
Whatever Louis van Gaal has failed to achieve at Old Trafford, he can now add Rashford to a list that includes Patrick Kluivert, Andres Iniesta and Thomas Muller as young starlets he's thrown in at the deep end.
Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford had a debut to remember as he scored a brace in Europe
Rashford wasn't even 10th-choice striker at United at the end of last season. He was only promoted to the Under 21s recently and has scored one goal in nine appearances for them, seven of them as substitute
And yet when Anthony Martial became United's 15th injury victim in the warm-up, LVG had little choice to throw in Rashford, who is considered raw and inexperienced even at under-21s level.
It may have been a decision borne of necessity, but it now looks inspired.
Resembling a young Danny Welbeck – who also graduated through the famous Fletcher Moss youth club from Didsbury in south Manchester – Rashford showed enough pace and trickery to show he can be important part of United's long-term future.
As for his two goals, they were beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
His instant right-footed finish from Juan Mata's cutback put United 2-1 ahead, he then sealed the deal with another first-time conversion from Guillermo Varela's cross. Both goals were struck from exactly seven yards and hit the net before Mikkel Andersen could react.
No wonder new Academy chief Nicky Butt – a member of the Class of 92 who knows a thing about homegrown talent – describes him as 'explosive'.
Rashford was only playing because Martial, Will Keane and Rooney were injured, and Nick Powell and James Wilson are out on loan.
But part of being a 'Manchester United player' is having the confidence to seize the moment. And Rashford did.
Hailing from Withington, Rashford moved to Fallowfield and then Northenden in north Manchester during his early days training with the United Academy at The Cliff.
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FOUR OTHER DREAM DEBUTS
Wayne Rooney
The teenager signed from Everton guaranteed himself instant hero status with a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Fenerbahce in the Champions League in September 2004, becoming the youngest player to score a treble in the competition aged 18 years and 335 days. He scored his first two with smart strikes in the opening half-hour and added his third with a fine free-kick early in the second half.
Federico Macheda
The Italian, aged 17, came off the bench in a Premier League clash with Aston Villa in April 2009 and scored a brilliant last-gasp winner to earn the hosts a 3-2 win, turning on the edge of the area and curling home an unstoppable shot. However, it was not a sign of things to come as Macheda had a host of loan spells before leaving permanently for Cardiff in 2014.
James Wilson
Wilson scored twice in a 3-1 win at home to Hull in May 2014, netting with a near-post half-volley and then following up to score after a Marouane Fellaini shot. He joined Brighton on loan until the end of the season in November.
Anthony Martial
The Frenchman, signed from Monaco for a world-record fee for a teenager, hit the ground running, coming off the bench to score in a 3-1 home win over Liverpool. Introduced as a second-half substitute, the 19-year-old scored a superb individual goal in the 86th minute, weaving between Liverpool defenders before shooting home in front of the Stretford End.
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He now lives in Sale and also learned his trade Fletcher Moss which was also the starting place for Wes Brown, Welbeck and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson.
He was captain of United under-18s, played in the Champions League for the under-19s and recently broke into the under-21s team.
The way he played, you would have thought he'd been starring alongside Juan Mata and Memphis Depay for a decade.
Rashford was not included on Manchester United's official programme ahead of the game with
His most obvious stand-out quality is speed. But to make it at the Theatre of Dreams, you also need a bit of cheek and arrogance.
After 15 minutes, he produced a stepover and sharp shot that forced Andersen to tip around the post. Sir Alex Ferguson would have loved that, Sir Matt Busby too.
Van Gaal is a more pragmatic and he would have noted with satisfaction the youngster's dash into the six-yard box as Depay fired in a cross with United trailing 1-0.
The ball didn't reach him because defender Nikolay Budurov got in first and fired in an own goal. LVG would have liked that.
It got better and better. His touch was good, movement splendid, and his finishing was the icing on the cake. Make no mistake, without his double after 63 and 75 minutes, United might not have won 5-1 and got through.
'This club is all about blooding youngsters. A special debut,' said Paul Scholes. You can't argue with that.
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FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MARCUS RASHFORD
1. He was born on Halloween, 1997
Rashford was born in Manchester on October 31, 1997, a few months after Van Gaal left Dutch giants Ajax to take up a post with Barcelona.
The day after United scored six against Sheffield Wednesday at home, with strikers Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all grabbing braces.
2. He used to play for Fletcher Moss Rangers at youth level
Rashford is one of a number of players who have gone on to play professionally after turning out for local youth club Fletcher Moss Rangers.
The likes of Wes Brown, Danny Welbeck and Ravel Morrison all represented the team in their junior years, while current United team-mates Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Tyler Blackett were also ex-Fletcher Moss players.
3. He was prolific at under-18 level
Rashford topped the scoring charts for United's Under-18s last year, having found the net on 13 occasions in 25 starts.
However, he only made his maiden appearance for the club's reserves in a Lancashire Senior Cup tie with Rochdale this season, one month before he turned 18.
4. He scored twice on his UEFA Youth League debut
Nicky Butt, recently named the head of United's academy, handed him the captain's armband for the Under-19s' first UEFA Youth League tie of the season in September against PSV.
Rashford responded by scoring a brace in Eindhoven - the first coming from the penalty spot - as United coasted to a 3-0 victory.
5. He has been in senior United squads before
Van Gaal named Rashford among his substitutes in the 2-1 win at Watford on November 21 and in the draw at high-flying Leicester the following weekend.
However, on neither occasion was he brought on to the pitch by the Dutchman.
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