Marcus Rashford will be attracting admiring glances from afar, says Dimitar Berbatov, but the 22-year-old is considered to boast the potential which could see him become “a great striker”, Manchester United captain and a one-club man.
Another product of a famed academy system at Old Trafford has already become a key figure in the Red Devils’ plans despite his tender years.
Rashford is closing in on 200 appearances for United, while collecting 38 caps for England, and the general consensus is that he can take his game to even greater heights with more experience.
Berbatov expects that to be the case and sees no reason why a home-grown talent cannot become an on-field leader and emulate the efforts of Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes by shunning interest from elsewhere and becoming a modern day icon.
The former United striker told Betfair: “It is great to see Marcus Rashford putting in top class performances and scoring goals and I hope that this will continue for a long time.
“He’s only 22 but it feels like he has been playing for 100 years, he’s still so young and he has so much more time to come in his career to score even more goals.
“I hope that he continues to work on that last crucial step before you shoot.
“That is what makes a great striker, that last decision when you are facing down the goalkeeper you need to know where to put the ball, how much power or finesse is required and this is a small aspect of the game that is so important.
“He is still so young and no doubt he will be on the radar of a few other clubs, but I see him as a typical born and bred Manchester United player, someone who can carry the torch for academy players coming through at United, to show that it can be done.
“He is the prime example and he can still go further, maybe one day he can be the captain.
“I can see him staying at United for a very long time and it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if he is a one-club man. I always wanted to be like that but it was never possible for me.”
Rashford endured a dip in form early in the 2019-20 campaign, but has rediscovered his spark in some style over recent weeks.
His last 11 appearances for club and country have delivered 10 goals, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gareth Southgate getting end product from a man who has been told on a regular basis that he needs to find more of a cutting edge in order to become a truly fearsome frontman.