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Marcus Rashford may be one of the world’s leading forwards currently but he would have turned into a midfielder were it not for the persistence of his youth coach.
Neil Ryan, who spent 15 years working for Manchester United's academy before becoming England’s Under-18 coach, revealed how the forward was great in the Under 12s and Under 13s before a confidence crisis saw him express a desire to switch positions a couple of years later.
“You didn’t feel that it was effortless like it was with Ravel Morrison. Marcus’ attitude and talent always stood out, but aged 14, he had a confidence crisis and wanted to be a holding midfielder,” Ryan told Four Four Two.
“I recall talking to his mother and brothers. He spoke about wanting to get on the ball more. He didn’t have the pace then to burn past others because he was still growing, but we always thought he’d be a forward.”
Ryan convinced Rashford to stick up front and the forward would get his reward a few years later when former United manager Louis van Gaal handed him his senior team debut in a crucial Europa League clash in February 2016 following a late injury to Anthony Martial.
He would score on his debut and followed it up with a brace against Arsenal in his first English Premier League game two days later to become an instant hit and crowd favourite.
Rashford has so far scored 120 senior career goals in 348 games for United and is currently enjoying his best season ever for the Red Devils, having netted 27 times in all competitions in 2022-23.
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