After promoting his manager’s hope for Manchester United’s youth, the England striker has been forced to take a back seat of late

It is barely two years since Marcus Rashford broke into the national consciousness with that now-famous double against Midtjylland on his Manchester United debut.

Still only 20, he has since gone on to record a phenomenal 110 senior appearances for the club and collected 15 England caps into the bargain. For many, that would represent a fantastic return in such a short time and would be proof enough that the forward’s star is destined to shine brightly.

But there have been great concerns regarding the youngster in recent weeks, with his current run of nine league games without a start matching his career high at a time when manager Jose Mourinho has been otherwise liberal in handing out starting shirts to his attackers.

Since Rashford last began a game in the Premier League, Jesse Lingard has started eight of nine matches in the forward line and Anthony Martial six, while Juan Mata and new signing Alexis Sanchez have both walked out in the starting XI on five occasions.

At a time when dynamism has been in short supply, when narrow amounts of space have been over-occupied by United players in the opposition half, Rashford’s ability to stretch defenders and get them onto the back foot must not be forgotten about.

He is a player who undoubtedly has a bright future, but he also has a potentially sparkling present at a time when United really could do with a player of his abilities. He cannot prove that sat on the bench though, and sometimes the best time to look to the future is right now.

by Barrack Dodoo: Head of Sports( Mentiasie Inc)