Sunday 28 August 2016 00:02, UK
Marcus Rashford seized his opportunity to impress Jose Mourinho with a match-winning strike at Hull City. But can he earn a starting spot ahead of Manchester United's selection of star names?
Jose Mourinho described Marcus Rashford as "amazing" earlier this week but his 92nd-minute winner at Hull felt like an important reminder of the teenager's brilliance, following a summer of big-name arrivals and huge spending at Manchester United.
While Zlatan Ibrahimovic and record-breaker Paul Pogba have dominated headlines and taken the attention, Rashford has been forced to remain patient on the United bench so far this term.
He was an unused substitute against Bournemouth and Southampton, looking on as Ibrahimovic scored three in two and Pogba ran the show on his second Old Trafford debut.
But, with United failing to find a way through a stubborn Hull defence on Saturday night and with just 19 minutes remaining, Mourinho turned to the 18-year-old to make the difference. He did just that.
After first drawing a fine save from goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic with a low shot at the bottom corner, Rashford teed up Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a blocked effort and fizzed a pass across the six-yard box which Ibrahimovic kicked himself for not converting. Rashford injected impetus and incisiveness into United's performance.
With the clock ticking into injury-time Rashford's moment came. As Wayne Rooney skipped past Ahmed Elmohamady, the striker darted into the six-yard box and slotted in his captain's pass.
It looked a simple finish but the awareness to take up the perfect position to tuck home Rooney's cross was impressive and reflected the natural goal-scoring knack the youngster demonstrated at the end of last season.
Indeed, Rashford has made a habit of seizing his opportunities.
From scoring twice on his Manchester United debut in the Europa League and adding a double against Arsenal three days later on his Premier League bow, to hitting the decisive strike in a Manchester derby and finding the net on his England debut, Rashford has a special ability to make the most of his moments.
Mourinho made it clear this week that Rashford is number two to Ibrahimovic in the pecking order "at the moment". But will the Portuguese be forced into finding a role for the teenager in his team for the blockbuster Manchester derby on September 10?
After the win at Hull City, Mourinho said Rashford and Ibrahimovic could play together. However, it would be a surprise to see the manager field two up front, a tactic he rarely favours.
A place in one of the wider attacking berths would seem a more obvious solution. But Mourinho is swamped with options in that department. He pointed out in his pre-match press conference he has Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Ashley Young and Memphis Depay all vying for those roles, with captain Rooney seemingly set at No 10 behind Ibrahimovic.
Perhaps the Europa League tie with Feyenoord is a more realistic target for Rashford, in terms of a first start of the season. Thirty-five-year-old Ibrahimovic is likely to be rested for that midweek exertion, presenting Rashford with an opening.
But he now has six goals in 12 Premier League appearances and showed again on Saturday why he is such a threat to defences, despite his relative inexperience. He's a fearsome weapon to have on the bench.
Saturday wasn't the first time Rashford's been the hero for United. It won't be the last. The challenge for Mourinho is to manage his development and playing time to find ways to profit from his game-changing ability.
