The Neymar saga momentarily made us shift our focus away from Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman had been dominating the headlines in this transfer period, but the Brazilian’s move to Paris Saint-Germain became the biggest in the history of the game.
But now it is back on – and it seems as though Mbappe will join Neymar at PSG. Football is a funny old thing. This is a guy who has adorned his bedroom with Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid posters, but in the end, gets lured by a former Barcelona player – at least that is what the reports say.
The price, of course, is somewhere near €200 million – and this, apparently, isn’t going down well with the Manchester United fan base, which brings us to the point of this article.
Marcus Rashford is perhaps the most exciting player to come out of Manchester United’s academy since the class of ’92. The way he dances with the ball is a sight to behold. Left, right, left, right, he zigzags his way out of trouble.
It is a glorious sight for any football fan; one that brings them to the edge of their seats, with mouths agape and eyes popping out, Manchester United are lucky to have him.
But that’s about it. What happens after that, however, leaves a sense of frustration among the viewers: the final delivery is very raw.
And that is fine. After all, he is only just a teenager, but this is also why it is laughable to claim that Manchester United starlet Marcus Rashford is better than Mbappe.
Decision-making is the most important aspect for a footballer. A footballer can dribble past ten players, but it leads to nothing if the final ball isn’t proper.
This is where Mbappe is so much superior not only to Rashford but many players far older than him.
When the time to pull the trigger comes, the composure that the French teenager shows is unparalleled for his age group.
The only youngster that has similar guile when it comes to taking decisions is Marco Asensio, which is why he is so highly-rated and has been linked with Manchester United amongst other clubs.
Rashford is highly talented, of this, there is no doubt. He might as well lead England and Manchester United to glory in the future, but as of now, he is just a raw talent who is nothing more than a dribble and pace-merchant, so to speak.
The talent is there, however. The ease with which he moves with the ball is commendable and very few players could do that aged 19, so I must give credit where it is due. But to say that Rashford is better than Mbappe is as biased as it gets.
One guy has only just played a handful of games in the Premier League and Europa League while the other led his team to a league glory and a semi-final place in the Champions League. One is yet to play in the Champions League – the Holy Grail of club football – while the other already has six goals in it.
It is understandable for Manchester United fans to be excited about the talent that Rashford exudes, but to say that he is better than Mbappe is a blasphemy of sorts.
