10 young players to watch

By Harvey Cruz | Jun 11, 2018

TOPSHOT - France's foward Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring a goal during the friendly football match between France and Italy at the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, southeastern France, on June 1, 2018. (Photo by VALERY HACHE / AFP) (Photo credit should read VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images) /

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LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 02: Marcus Rashford of England during an International Friendly between England and Nigeria at Wembley Stadium on June 2, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Offside/Getty Images) /

5. Marcus Rashford

It’s either shocking or just disappointing that Marcus Rashford hasn’t yet nailed down a starting spot at Manchester United. When he exploded onto the scene as an 18-year-old, then-manager Louis Van Gaal gave him the license to express himself and he seemed primed to become United’s latest home-grown star.

Since then, however, he’s fallen down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho and spent much of 2017-18 on the bench. Rashford hasn’t been as consistent as he would have liked, but has shown flashes of what he’s capable of, most notably in a match-winning, two-goal performance against Liverpool in March.

Whether he’s better as a number 9 or on the wing is up for debate, but with Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy in the England squad, he’ll have to settle for a role out wide in the Word Cup, probably as an impact sub. The 20-year-old has pace to burn, a rocket of a right-foot and is capable of winning matches on his own.

England shouldn’t have too much trouble in a group with Belgium, Tunisia and Panama (we’ve heard that before), which should give Rashford an opportunities. There were rumors toward the end of the season he would seek a move away from United if he couldn’t nail down a starting spot, so this tournament is an opportunity for him to show potential suitors (and Mourinho) what he’s got.