Marcus Rashford has justified Louis Van Gaal’s faith in him.
Jose Mourinho is keen to cement his move by May. The question is where? One of the clubs linked strongly with him is Man Utd, a club and its fans rapidly tiring of Louis Van Gaal’s “philosophy” which has seen them stalling. There is even talk of a pre-nup signed by Utd and Mourinho which would pay him millions in case the club decided to spurn his services by a June deadline. There are obviously a number of influential voices within the club debating whether he would be the right choice.
The Portugese still has to convince Sir Alex Ferguson, whose word is worth its weight in gold. The former Man Utd coach seems to be backing Louis Van Gaal for the long term and praising him for uncovering Marcus Rashford. The Dutchman has come under severe pressure after a series of flat and dispiriting exits from the Champions and Europa League as well as uncertainty as to whether they will finish in the top four but Sir Alex’s words will come as a boost. He made allowances for the number of injuries that have crippled the side as well as the arrival of several new players who need time to bed in. More significantly, he also said this:
“He’s given nine young players their debut – I think the future is good.”
The emergence of Rashford is seen as a sign that the club has not strayed from its core mission of developing youth talent even as the title success might elude them.
“Rashford is an example of what I think is Manchester United. They are the one club in England who will always identify a Rashford and give a young kid a chance – there is no better club in England at giving young kids a chance.”
There was also advice on the long term. For a club with a history as long as United and the unparalleled league success it has enjoyed, a few quiet years might not be such a bad thing, if only to come back stronger.
“For 150 years of history it is worth having a couple of years on the quiet side of success because they will always come back and come back strong.”
Although he did not mention Mourinho by name, the import was clear. In these few words, Sir Alex managed to separate United’s vision and long term viability from Mourinho’s nihilism when it comes to young players as well as his durability which might provide instant gratification but then drains success with every passing season.