Die Anpflanzler [DA] » have led by several goals

Hes the most talked about young player in English football, but just how good is Marcus Rashford? Adam Bate spoke to his former coaches at Fletcher Moss Rangers, Manchester United and England to find out… This is a climate in which Chelsea teenagers can seek £50,000 per week contracts before their first-team debut; where youngsters are trailed as wonderkids while YouTube remains their only witness. And yet, even against that backdrop, the emergence of Marcus Rashford at Manchester United retains its capacity to surprise.Few had heard of the 18-year-old forward until Anthony Martial went down with an injury during the warm-up for the second leg of Uniteds Europa League last-16 tie with FC Midtyjlland at Old Trafford in late February. Rashford was thrust into the limelight and promptly scored two goals as United turned the tie around. Rashford made a name for himself with a brace on his professional debut He seems to have come from nowhere, former United forward Teddy Sheringham told Sky Sports. By the weekend, hed added another brace in a 3-2 win over Arsenal with veteran talent spotter Arsene Wenger describing Rashford as a player who was surprising for me talent-wise. That theme of surprise has been a recurring one ever since.Three months on and Rashford has eight senior Manchester United goals to his name, an FA Cup winners medal and a debut goal for England. But even after his England call-up, Under-21 boss Gareth Southgate still felt moved to describe Rashfords ascent to the top as very random.However, an extraordinary journey should not be mistaken for a fluke. When Louis van Gaal named Rashford among his substitutes for a Premier League game against Watford in December of last year, he described the player as a fantastic talent and behind the scenes there has long been an awareness of his vast potential. Rashford has scored five goals in the Premier League this season Steve Round was the assistant manager to David Moyes during Uniteds 2013/14 season and recalls the debrief about the clubs most promising young talents. I remember talking to one of the academy coaches and asking who they felt, over the course of the next five years, could come through and press for the first team, Round tells Sky Sports.They mentioned Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj strongly. And there was talk of a young centre-forward called Rashford who they felt had the potential to maybe go on and be very good - but he was a bit raw and wasnt quite ready. They liked the look of him because he had speed, got goals and was a local guy who had a hunger for the club.Hunger. Thats something that registers with Dave Horrocks. Hes the development officer at Fletcher Moss Rangers, the club at which Rashford played for as a boy before embarking upon his United adventure. Horrocks admits to crying when Rashford scored those debut goals and takes particular pride in the young mans attitude.The kids who come to us have a bit more about them and are a bit hungrier to want to win, Horrocks tells Sky Sports. It reflects well on his mother. His father wasnt around but it reflects well on his stable family life, especially coming from the area he started at. He was living in the middle of Withington when he was first knocking about as a five-year-old. Marcus Rashford (second from left) aged 6 with Fletcher Moss Rangers He was taken places, he wasnt sent. He wasnt given a couple of quid in his hand and packed off. Whether it was his brothers or his mother, they spent time with him and thats got to be key for a childs development. Dont stick them out into the garden with a ball - play with them.Rashford was nurtured at home and nurtured at his club. But in a year of fairy-tales, maybe this particular Cinderella story was not as unlikely as the immediate headlines might have made out. For instance, Rashford was selected in the Victory Shield squad for Englands Under-16s while aged just 14. He was well known to both club and country.In fact, he was protected. With United keen to keep his development under the radar, his international involvement was restricted. Kenny Swain was Englands Under-16 coach at the time and stresses that United were well aware of Rashfords special talent. Rashford in England Under-20 action against Canada in March 2016 Ive got news for you, Swain tells Sky Sports. We identified him at 14. I remember him as a great talent. That year group for England won the European Championship at Under-17 so he was in good company. He was a very talented footballer with lots of potential for the future, but he was always going to be a slow burner.I was always in accord with Manchester United over Marcus so he didnt play maybe as much as Id have liked. He probably wouldve played a bit more for me at 16 and he would have had more exposure had Manchester United been prepared to release him a little more often. The staff I was dealing with were very careful with his progress.They were very careful with how they managed him, particularly physically. They didnt want to expose him to too much and you do give them some slack when they ask for it. He was still growing and so he was miles behind the others in some ways. But that doesnt take away from the enormous talent we saw in the boy. Rashford looks complete Marcus Rashford is already looking like the complete Man Utd centre forward, says Niall Quinn. Pictures of Rashford at this time highlight the issue. Smaller than his peers, Manchester Citys interest was curtailed due to concerns over his size and they werent the only ones worried. There were always question marks at the FA at the size of him, adds Swain. Why are we wasting time on him? But providing he grew as Manchester United expected, he had this enormous ability.The anticipated development came in 2014, with Uniteds then academy coach Paul McGuiness highlighting the big strides that Rashford made physically that year. McGuiness pointed to a game against Newcastle in which it became apparent that he didnt realise what this football was about before mentally turning a corner later on.One we saw starting to emerge as he grew into his body more was Marcus Rashford, said McGuinness. He put some exciting parts of games together and we saw some exciting things. Hes emerging and starting to do more. A stunning 25-yard free-kick at Tottenham in an FA Youth Cup tie in February 2015 was testament to his growing confidence. Rashford scored twice on his Premier League debut against Arsenal They key was patience. I think sometimes as a young player youve got to wait until youre physically mature enough to get the opportunity, says Round. Then when you get the opportunity you take it. And hes done exactly that. Swain agrees: He maybe wasnt able to keep up with others at the same age.There are factors and influences now that can give you some guidance as to where theyre going to finish up and when theyre going to finish their growth spurt but you cant really predict it. Its just a case of being patient. If you look at him now, hes got a tall frame but in terms of muscular definition hes still got loads more to come.Even so, by the end of 2015, the patience and hard work had begun to pay off. Having moved into the central striking role ahead of the injured Demetri Mitchell, one whod been ahead of him in Englands European Under-17 Championship winning group, Rashford did a lot of work with Uniteds coach Colin Little on his finishing. It soon reaped rewards.Hes starting to understand that part of his game and needs to now get a real goal addiction, said McGuiness in December. He can score unbelievable goals, dribbling past three defenders, but he needs to be more like Ruud van Nistelrooy [and score] real goalscorers goals. But Marcus is working hard at it.They were precisely the sort of goals that Rashford was able to score for the first team in 1-0 wins over Manchester City and Aston Villa in the months that followed. Allied to his natural gifts - Rashford was clocked as the fastest man on the pitch in both of those games - and his positive attitude, it proved an alluring combination for Van Gaal. Hes very focused on his work and that I admire when you are so young. Louis van Gaal Indeed, the players willingness to listen was perhaps Rashfords most endearing quality as far as the Dutchman was concerned. Horrocks used to tell him that listening is the best learning tool. Id get a bit moralistic with them and tell them that God gave them two ears and one mouth, explained Horrocks. It will have been good preparation for dealing with Van Gaal.Hes very focused on his work and that I admire when you are so young and there is so much attention now, said the the now departed United boss recently. When you have criticism he can cope with criticism also. He can say: Yes, manager, you are right and I have to do that. I think its fantastic because not a lot of players can see their self-image in a match.Van Gaal did stop short of embracing the comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who took 70 games to score his eighth goal for United. But he happily named Rashford in the same breath as Patrick Kluivert and with Sir Alex Ferguson calling the teenager a sensation and one of the best in years there will be those worrying about the growing expectations. Louis van Gaal was quick to downplay comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo Normally the first matches a debutant plays are good, said Van Gaal initially. But it is the consistency - he has to show it in the third, fourth, fifth match. Rashford has extended his good form rather longer than that, but we are still talking about a player with only five Premier League goals to his name.That raises the question of whether or not Rashfords form is sustainable. Sheringham may have stated that Rashford seems to be scoring all types of goals at the moment and pointed to the players knack for being in the right place at the right time, but the truth is that his conversion rate is unusually high. That simply cannot be expected to continue.Rashford has scored with 56 per cent of his shots in the Premier League. Thats more than any other player - twice as efficient as Sergio Aguero and three times better than Harry Kane. To put it another way, it could be seen as a reflection of how few goals he should be getting for this shot output. Expected-goals models would expect some regression here. Best Premier League conversion rates 2015/16 Player Club Goals Conversion rate Marcus Rashford Man Utd 5 56% Callum Wilson Bournemouth 5 40% Kelechi Iheanacho Man City 8 38% For a lot of young players, its not the initial burst, its coming back from the dip, says Round. You burst onto the scene, youre fresh, youre innocent and you dont understand the implications of failing, the media treatment and the pressures that come with it. You just play and you love it. You want him to maintain that as long as he can.Manchester United have the right coaches keeping them grounded, keeping their feet on the floor, making sure they understand they have to work for success and that its not given to them on a plate - that theres a responsibility to being a United player. Once thats established by the club it gives the young players a better chance.But there will come a stage where his form dips, he might get an injury, and then it is dropping back into your own environment, regaining your learning experiences, learning from the coaches and players around you and then coming back again fresh and new. Its how they come back that really matters. Thats when they really establish themselves.A lot of it is down to your mentality as a player. Thats why there are so few who actually make it to the very top. Theres no doubt a lot of players - including Rashford - have the physical and technical talent to be top players. Its whether they can put it together mentally and still play at the highest level when the pressure is on. There is no reason why, if he does exceptionally well, he cant knock someone off their perch. Roy Hodgson on Marcus Rashford In that respect, well find out more about Rashford very soon. Itll be very interesting to see what he can do, said Hodgson. There is no reason why, if he does exceptionally well, he cant knock someone off their perch. I think hes got a future if he can continue to develop as hes developed so far.When attitude, ability and opportunity converge like this, theres little reason why that development cant continue. The list of admirers already includes Ferguson, Van Gaal and Wenger, and while Rashfords eventual level remains uncertain, hes surprised people before. Where this young man is concerned, exceptionally well cannot be ruled out. Also See: Rashford looks complete United finish in fifth Ray Lewis Jersey . - Kentucky freshmen Stanley Boom Williams, Dorian Baker, Drew Barker and Tymere Dubose have been charged with disorderly conduct for their involvement with air pistol shots being fired near a residence hall on the South campus Sunday night. Jonathan Ogden Jersey . Blown save in the ninth inning? No problem. http://www.officialbaltimoreravenspro.com/ .5 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, a deal that covers his final two arbitration seasons. Joe Flacco Jersey . -- Floridas smothering defence returned to form just in time for the third-ranked Gators to keep their winning streak going. Lamar Jackson Jersey . The team said Saturday that the 36-year-old Robidas is expected to miss four to six months, jeopardizing his return this season. He was injured when he slid hard into the boards in the second period of a 2-1 shootout loss to Chicago on Friday. TORONTO -- Toronto FC left with the win. But Vancouver coach Carl Robinson walked out with a smile. A baby-faced Whitecaps squad escaped the first leg of their Amway Canadian Championship semifinal Wednesday down by just one goal after a 2-1 loss to a star-studded Toronto FC outfit. "Im delighted with them. Im really really proud of the boys in there today," said Robinson. According to the Whitecaps, the average age of their starting 11 was 21.7 years, with an average of 22.1 for the matchday 18. Toronto, meanwhile, rolled out its big guns in U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley and the strike force of Brazils Gilberto and Englands Jermain Defoe. Standing in their way was 17-year-old Canadian goalie Marco Carducci, whose US$36,504 annual salary is probably what Bradley ($6.5 million) and Defoe ($6.18 million) find in their couch. Up 1-0 after Defoes first-half strike, Bradley added what seemed like an insurance goal in the 89th minute, driving down the right and then, after a nifty 1-2 with Defoe, beating Carducci with a right-footed shot. The Whitecaps responded with a stoppage-time goal from substitute Kekuta Manneh, a valuable away goal that may pay dividends if the total goals series finished tied. The second leg is next Wednesday in Vancouver. "I think the tie is wide open," said Robinson. "I think both teams wanted to win this tie and end it tonight," said Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen. "But its not (done). Its up for grabs for both teams." Nelsen said he would make changes for the return leg, but declined to elaborate. Robinson said he would give his young players another opportunity "because I think they deserve it." The defending champion Montreal Impact meanwhile lost their opening semifinal leg 2-1 against FC Edmonton in Alberta later Wednesday. Nelsen, whose club had lost its last three MLS outings, called it an awkward game against a young opposition squad looking to prove itself to its coach. "Boy they were up for it," he said. "It was one of those games where ... you could have easily lost. Theyre a good team, theyre good young players." He lamented his team was unable to get the second goal earlier, allowing Vancouver to retain its confidence. And when Toronto did score again, it was quickly followed by a Whitecaps goal that "left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth." Toronto GM Tim Bezbatchenko certainly looked grim as he left his perch atop the stadium. Vancouver lived dangerously, carved open at times by a Toronto side that more often than not was unable to punish the visitors. But the Whitecaps, who grew into the game, had stretches when they strung passes together and came close to scoring before the late strike. Toronto should have led by several goals after 45 minutes on a windy night at BMO Field before an announced crowd of 22,591 despite a good number of empty seats. But it failed to take advantage of some early stage fright from the visitors, putting only three of eight shots on target in the first half, and needed a pair of defensive stops late in the half to avoid going in tied 1-1. Toronto outshot Vancouver 14-13 over 90 minutes but the visitors had a 6-4 edge in shots on target. Perhaps the big winner on the night was Canadian soccer, with eight homegrown starters and signs of hope for the future. "I just (Canadian coach) Benito (Floro) in the corridor and he must be excited as well, because it was a very competitive game today," said Robinson, a former Welsh international. "Thats the talent that Canadian foootball has.dddddddddddd." Said Nelsen: "Vancouver has a fantastic academy ... I think were probably a couple of years behind them in producing a steady influx of good young Canadian players." With a league game in Columbus on Saturday, Robinson gave veterans like centre backs Jay DeMerit and Andy OBrien the night off and dipped deep into his touring party of 26 as he blooded a bevy of young talent. Under Robinson, the Whitecaps are a young side. But he went "younger than young" Wednesday. In addition to Carducci, the Whitecaps starting 11 included Canadian midfielders Bryce Alderson (20 years old), Marco Bustos (18), Kianz Froese (18) and Russell Teibert (21), who came in the game with 46 MLS appearances under his belt. Robinson gave the captains armband to Teibert, calling him "our face of our residency program." "I was impressed with them, especially their midfielders," said Toronto goalie Joe Bendik. At 17 years 225 days, Carducci becomes the 12th youngest player -- and second youngest keeper -- to play for the Whitecaps. The youngest was forward Guido Titotto who debuted at 16 years 38 days in 1987. "Were talking about a future Canadian (international) goalkeeper. Hes absolutely fantastic," Robinson said of Carducci, who has already represented Canada at the FUFA U-17 World Cup Carducci called it a "dream" night. "Its a positive result for us," he said. "It showed us very well." Toronto, which has a bye this weekend, played a more conventional lineup with Bendik making his first start of the season in place of Julio Cesar -- named to the Brazilian World Cup squad earlier in the day. Other than Bendik, it was the lineup TFC might have used had it played an MLS game on the night. The only starters missing were Brazilian midfielder Jackson and injured Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio (charley horse). Vancouver started five Canadians compared to Torontos three (defender Doneil Henry and midfielders Kyle Bekker and Issey Nakajima-Farran). That tied Vancouvers record for the tournament. Nelsen had to make a late change before kickoff, replacing rookie Nick Hagglund with fullback Mark Bloom because of a flu bug that has been going through the team. Bendik, who had 33 starts last season, had long stretches of inactivity but made the tough saves when needed. "Thats the sign of a good keeper," said Nelsen, who called Bendiks play "brilliant." Gilberto, whose goal drought continues, headed woefully wide in the 21st minute. But he played provider in the 28th minute, carving open the Vancouver defence with a nice pass to put Defoe in all alone with plenty of time to beat Carducci. While Gilberto did not score, he exuded danger whenever he got near the ball and showed a good eye in finding his teammates. And it was a typical Defoe performance with the elusive striker disappearing for stretches then turning up in places where he could do damage. Bradley, meanwhile, made some surging runs and played surgical defence. Montreal captured the inaugural Canadian championship in 2008 and won it again last year. Toronto claimed the trophy during the four interim years. Vancouver has finished runner-up the last five years. The winner hoists the Voyageurs Cup, donated by the Voyageurs Canadian supporters group, and earns a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League, a 24-team competition featuring clubs from North and Central America and the Caribbean. The CONCACAF Champions League winner advances to the FIFA Club World Cup. Cheap Warriors Jerseys Authentic Cavaliers Jerseys Cheap Spurs Store Celtics Jerseys Online Cheap Bulls Jerseys Cheap Nets Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Wholesale Raptors Jerseys Cyber Monday Pistons Jerseys Wholesale Team USA Basketball Jerseys Cheap Celtics Jerseys Cheap Nets Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Raptors Jerseys From China Cheap Bulls Jerseys Cavaliers Jerseys From China Wholesale Pistons Jerseys Bucks Jerseys From China Pacers Jerseys Outlet Authentic Hawks Jerseys Cheap Hornets Jerseys Cheap Heat Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Authentic Wizards Jerseys Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Timberwolves Jerseys Outlet Wholesale Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Discount Warriors Jerseys Wholesale Clippers Jerseys Wholesale Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Discount Mavericks Jerseys Authentic Rockets Jerseys Discount Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Spurs Jerseys From China ' ' '