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Football

10th Mar 2018

Marcus Rashford’s opener against Liverpool had more than a hint of Ronaldo about it

MR19

Darragh Murphy

Marcus Rashford is not in the habit of wasting time.

Rashford’s breakthrough into the Manchester United first team in 2015 was enough to prove to fans that the young forward has a welcome tendency to seize every opportunity.

In recent weeks, Rashford’s chances have been few and far between as manager Jose Mourinho has looked to find a place for January signing Alexis Sanchez in his team.

But Mourinho named Rashford in his starting XI for one of the Red Devils’ biggest games of the season as he was named on the left side of United’s attacking unit against Liverpool on Saturday.

An injury to Paul Pogba forced Mourinho into a reshuffle and the United boss surprised many with a very attacking selection.

But Rashford justified his manager’s faith in him as he found the net on two occasions inside the first 25 minutes.

The 20-year-old’s first was a thing of beauty as he latched on to a header from Romelu Lukaku, sprinted into the Liverpool box, perfectly cut inside opposition right back Trent Alexander-Arnold and found the far corner before wheeling away in celebration.

Supporters watching couldn’t help but notice the similarity in technique between Rashford and former Old Trafford favourite Cristiano Ronaldo, who would often create space for himself using an identical movement.

Rashford has spoken in the past of his admiration for the Portuguese great and named Ronaldo as his biggest inspiration when he was coming through the United ranks.

“When Cristiano Ronaldo came to United, he was the one who everyone looked up to,” Rashford told Inside United in 2016.

“The thing that impressed me the most was the fact he was only young when he came into the side and he wanted to be the best player in the side.

“He worked hard every single day, you saw him in the gym every single day and the results came on the pitch. He openly wanted to be the best player in the world.

“You have to have an approach like that – all the best players in the world do. It’s not arrogance or anything like that, it’s the mindset you need to achieve things.”