Manchester United shocked many over the weekend when it defeated Arsenal in their Premier League matchup. United has looked less than impressive for weeks thanks to several injuries, but it pulled it together for a solid showing on Sunday, and much of that can be credited to Marcus Rashford who became an instant star in his Premier League debut.
Rashford became United's youngest player to score a goal in his first start in a Premier League game. The 18-year-old found the net against Arsenal to help lead the way to a much-needed win. With players like Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and Will Keane out with injuries, Rashford got the start and could be getting paid much more in the coming weeks.
United is beginning talks to get Rashford signed to a long-term contract following his Premier League success, according to Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail. Rashford now has four goals in two games with the senior team, and Manchester is recognizing that it cannot let him get away. The striker has been with the club since he was 9 and already has a boot deal with Nike, but he is signed to a weekly contract, and Manchester United is aiming to change that.
Rashford's performance left a lot of people impressed. Rooney took to Twitter to congratulate his teammate while manager Louis van Gaal believes he has a special career ahead of him.
"Youngsters often play well in the first match. The second is different. Marcus played well in both so he is a special talent," van Gaal said, via BBC.com.
There is no denying United needs Rashford to be a success. While the club's shot at a Premier League title is just about out of reach, the success of young talent could help save van Gaal's job. The manager is right to proceed with caution, but statistically the debut of Rashford puts him on par with Rooney. Rashford is the same age as Rooney was when he scored in his first Premier League match, according to Fox Sports. That has a lot of United fans hopeful that the 18-year-old is here to stay for a long time.
"This is my first game in the Premier League, so obviously it's been amazing," Rashford said, via BBC.com. "To score two has been a bonus, so hopefully we can carry it on and go again the next game. It was a shock playing midweek as well. But that maybe benefited me because I wasn't thinking about the game too much. It's just crazy."