Seven years and three days ago, 18-year-old Marcus Rashford scored his first goals in the shirt of Manchester United under Louis van Gaal. The current top scorer of The Red Devils cherishes warm memories of the Dutchman.
In the Europa League game with FC Midtjylland, Rashford made his first minutes for United. The debutant promptly scored twice. Memphis Depay also scored that evening at Old Trafford. Speaking to The Mirror, Rashford says Van Gaal played a big role in his development. “The time with Louis was very good for me. Van Gaal was great. I got a lot of attention then, but for me his words were the most important,” the forward said.
Before winning the League Cup final, Rashford came up with an anecdote about Van Gaal. “He always told me to finish my homework. No discussion. But I was also not allowed to be late for training. No discussion either. But I only had twelve minutes to get from school to practice! Every Thursday I got a fine, but I had absolutely no control over it,” he added.
Rashford eventually floated to the surface. He concludes, “I kept smiling every day. To be part of Manchester United’s senior squad… There were a few games where it was difficult. I remember a game away against Tottenham when he substituted me at half-time. The next day we talked, but I still couldn’t stop laughing.”
Rashford has now become one of the absolute stars of Manchester United. In 341 games he scored 118 goals in his trophy cabinet, which includes an FA Cup, Europa League, Community Shield and two League Cups. He is currently the top scorer in manager Erik ten Hag’s team.
Would you rather play Champions League football or win the League Cup?
Sticking with Man Utd, there are enough noises that the eulogies around Manchester United are a bit hasty. For example, Pep Guardiola downplayed winning the League Cup during a press moment. Ruud Gullit does not fully understand the derogatory attitude towards that tournament. He asks, “Would you rather play Champions League football or win the League Cup?”
“Then you want to win the League Cup, don’t you?” is Gullit’s answer to this rhetorical question. “That’s silverware. That’s on your resume. It may not be the most important prize, but it belongs to Manchester United. Win every prize you can play for.”
