Matteo Darmian sees striker Marcus Rashford reaching the same level as Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe in the near future. He even considers the Manchester United star capable of becoming a Ballon d’Or winner.
Rashford came into the field as a teenager at Old Trafford back in 2016, scoring a spectacular double on his Europa League debut against Midtjylland. Now he’s one of United’s most valuable team leaders, having brought sufficient end result and experience to his performance under the leadership of head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Matteo Darmain nostalgically recalls his first practice with Rashford. “I also remember the first practice with the senior squad of Marcus Rashford like it was yesterday.” the full-back Italian told The Guardian.
He added, “I thought: ‘Wow, this is an impressive guy.’ He did so many amazing things for a player of his era and I was very fascinated with the way he progressed in every aspect.”
Darmian played with United with 4 years before being sold to Parma last summer, stating that England always has plenty of time to achieve its ability, despite his confidence that his former team-mate has all the qualities required to hit the highest level of the game.
22-year-old Rashford recorded a career-high 19-goal total in his first 31 games this season but a back injury in January stopped his development. Rashford is now striving for maximum recovery in the safety of his own home as he isolates himself as the majority of the United squad amid the coronavirus-enforced break in the campaign.
He has nothing to worry about, however, if Darmian is to believed. Darmian says:
“If he keeps working the way he’s done so far he can be a Ballon d’Or winner. I am persuaded about it. And of all the stars at United he inspired me and he’s really young and can always develop.
“He will reach Kylian Mbappe’s standard for me, and compete for the Ballon d’Or for years to come.”
