While the last decade or so has not been spectacular on or off the pitch, Manchester United remain one of the biggest clubs in world football and arguably the biggest in England.
Due to their long and storied past, the Red Devils have a long list of legends that would make practically any club in the world green with envy.
You can go back to the 1950s and 60s for Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best, the 1990s for Éric Cantona and Bryan Robson, or the 2000s into the early 2010s for Premier League icons like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
However, as things stand, it would be hard to point at any player in the current team and call them a legend, although there is one who’s seen his value soar since breaking onto the scene who could possibly change that. Still, along with his attacking teammates, his chance to do so is hanging by a thread.
United’s young stars
So, for all the doom and gloom that has surrounded United in the last couple of years – some of it entirely justified – the club have still won a League Cup and an FA Cup, and perhaps most importantly for the fans, played a crucial role in stopping Liverpool’s title charge last year.
On top of these small victories, the club has been bringing through and signing a plethora of young, exciting talent who could potentially go on to do something special at Old Trafford.
For example, the club splashed £72m on Rasmus Hojlund last summer, and while there is an argument to be made that they overpaid for a then-20-year-old, he has since gone on to show glimpses of genuine talent and ended last season with a tally of 16 goals and two assists in 43 games.
Likewise, while it is far too early to cast ironclad assertions about Leny Yoro, he’s an exceptionally highly-rated young defender by those in the know, with analyst Ben Mattinson describing him as possessing “elite potential” and “that same dominance young Saliba” which is high praise indeed.
Lastly, the youngster who currently looks best placed to develop into a United icon is one of their own, Kobbie Mainoo, who, despite being just 19 years old, seems entirely comfortable starting in midfield and has already established himself in the national team squad as well.
However, while all of these youngsters have a genuine chance of writing their names into United folklore in the future, there is another older player who still has the opportunity to do the same, and as an academy graduate, his valuation has shot up over the years.
Marcus Rashford’s valuation in 2024
Yes, the player in question is Marcus Rashford.
Now, before the pitchforks come out, yes, he was poor last season, but even then, a return of eight goals and six assists in 43 matches for a winger isn’t utterly disastrous.
Rashford’s last two full seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
Season | 22/23 | 23/24 |
Appearances | 56 | 43 |
Goals | 30 | 8 |
Assists | 11 | 6 |
Goal Involvements per Match | 0.73 | 0.32 |
Moreover, just the campaign prior, he was simply electric, finding the back of the net 30 times and providing 11 assists in 51 games, meaning that he maintained a frankly ludicrous average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games in Erik ten Hag’s first season at the club.
It’s this ability to have campaigns like that and the fact he’s already won 60 senior England caps that leads people like talent scout Jacek Kulig to label him a “future legend,” even if that seems a little farfetched at the moment.
Additionally, the fact that he’s a local lad who’s come through the academy and therefore cost the club nothing in transfer fees helps, and based on his recent valuation, he is still very highly rated, with Football Transfer pricing him at around €67m, which converts to about £56m.
Ultimately, while there might be a significant portion of the fanbase who have given up on Rashford after last season, they shouldn’t, as given his talent and body of work, there is every chance he could turn things around and fulfil his potential at the Theatre of Dreams.
