Manchester United academy head Nicky Butt is all praise for their academy graduate star Marcus Rashford and claims that at the rate he is going, he will be a £50 million player soon
Rashford’s emergence at the club is proof that the famous youth academy, now overseen by Butt is once again providing talented starlets for the future.
The 18-year-old forward has made a stellar start to life in the first team and has established himself as one of the most exciting young players in Europe.
Butt, who himself graduated from United’s youth academy in the 1990s, admitted that it was worth spending such spectacular amounts at youth football to produce players like Rashford.
He also admitted that if United did not spend on their youth players, other clubs would and snap him up. Butt was quoted saying,” At Manchester United, we can compete with anybody if we want to. You’ve seen with [Paul] Pogba. That’s the first team but we’ve bought a few young players who’ve cost us a lot of money. If we don’t pay it we know City, Chelsea or even Everton, who are really aggressive in the market, will pay it. Economically, they’re right to do it. If you get a player like Marcus, and he does what he did last year this year, he’s a £50m player straight away. It’s an investment”.
Manchester united won the game 1-0. / AFP / Lindsey PARNABY
Butt also said that Rashford can develop into Manchester United’s Thierry Henry, and that it’s only a matter of time before he forces his way into the senior team. The 18-year-old burst into the first team at United just over six months ago with a brace against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, and his meteoric rise saw him named in the England squad for Euro 2016.
Butt sees the player’s best position to be similar to that of the Arsenal legend.
Rashford has started all of this season’s games on the bench for United so far, following the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from PSG, though Butt thinks Mourinho will have to start with the youngster if he continues to develop at such a fast pace.
