Marcus Rashford to join ranks of England’s youngest-ever players

As Louis Van Gaal takes his leave of Old Trafford, the veteran Dutch coach will reflect on his legacy of the latest batch of young Red Devils graduating through to the senior team at Manchester United.

The star pupil of the Class of ’16 is undoubtedly Marcus Rashford who can cap his meteoric rise by making his England debut this week.

The Manchester-born striker made his United debut only three months ago and has made such an astounding impact that he has earned a call-up by Roy Hodgson for his Three Lions provisional squad for the summer’s Euro 2016 championships in France.

It was as recently as 26 February that he burst on to the Old Trafford senior scene with such dramatic effect.

After Anthony Martial was injured in the pre-match warm-up, Marcus was drafted into the starting line-up at the last-minute against FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League and took his unexpected chance with both hands.

Scoring twice in a 5-1 win, he has gone on to net a total of eight goals in 18 United appearances.

Should he make his full international bow against Australia at Sunderland on Friday (27 May), at 18 years and 208 days, Marcus will enter the top ten of England’s youngest-ever players in tenth position.

It’s now ten years since Theo Walcott established the record for England’s youngest-ever player.

He was 74 days past his 17th birthday when he played against Hungary at Old Trafford and went on to be controversially selected in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Theo took the all-time youngest record from current captain Wayne Rooney who was 17 years and 110 days old when he came on as a half-time substitute for Michael Owen against Australia on 12 February 2003.

Owen, who made his debut in February 1998 against Chile, is also amongst the ranks of England’s top ten youngest.

The list is completed by James Prinsep (April 1879), Tot Rostron (February 1881), Raheem Sterling (November 2012), Clement Mitchell (March 1880), Micah Richards (November 2006) and Duncan Edwards (April 1955).

Marcus Rashford to join ranks of England’s youngest-ever players

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