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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has praised Marcus Rashford for his World Cup campaign with England, and has drawn comparisons between the forward and Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe’s France defeated Rashford’s England in their 2022 World Cup quarter-final meeting on Saturday.
France won the match 2-1, sending England home from Qatar, with Didier Deschamps’ men now taking on Morocco in the semi-finals.
Ten Hag, who works with Rashford at club level, says he immediately knew of the forward’s ability upon his arrival in the dugout, and believes only Mbappe is better than his attacker in one specific area.
“From the first moment I recognised huge potential,” said Ten Hag, as reported by BBC Sport.
“When Marcus’ positioning is on the back of the defending line, there is almost no better player in the world. There is only Mbappe in this moment.”
England forward ready to return to club action
Rashford enjoyed a strong tournament in Qatar. He scored three goals from his five World Cup matches, with fellow forward Bukayo Saka also netting three times.
The Man United forward found the net in the group stage opener against Iran, before netting twice in the group meeting with Wales.
France star Mbappe meanwhile tops the scoring charts with five goals from his five matches. He also has two assists to his name.
Rashford is now expected to return to his club, with Man United taking on Burnley in League Cup round of 16 action on 21 December. The Red Devils then have Premier League matches with Nottingham Forest and Wolves before the New Year.
Their England forward has eight goals in all competitions this season, four of which have come in the Premier League. The attacker has already matched his tally from the last campaign.
His other four goals have come in the Europa League and League Cup, with three arriving in the former and one coming in the latter.
England attacker to leave Old Trafford?
There has been much speculation regarding the future of Rashford at Old Trafford. Along with fellow senior players David de Gea, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Fred, Rashford’s current Man United deal expires at the end of the season.
He has been linked with a move to Mbappe’s PSG, with other top clubs undoubtedly interested in the forward.
But given the recent loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and indeed the return to form of Rashford for club and country, perhaps Ten Hag will be reluctant to let the latter leave.
The manager says he is eager to keep the forward at Old Trafford, but noted that the attacker must make up his own mind on what he wants to do.
“He has to make a decision,” said Ten Hag. “The only thing we can do is show him this is the best club to be in, which has to do with the culture of the club and also in the way we are working, in the way we play and the way we train and if we are offering the right environment to progress.
“It’s a financial issue as well. Then it is up to him to make the decision.”
The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions, each and every one of our team gave everything we had to be ready for what was thrown at us, we got close, but not close enough.
I’ll make a promise that we will come again!
Thank you for the unconditional support. pic.twitter.com/G964SZYiCL
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) December 11, 2022
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