Is this youngster set to follow Ronaldo’s footsteps?

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo left his home country at a very young age seeking for a greener pasture.

After his breakout season in Portuguese Primera League with Lisbon in 2002-03 season in which he scored three goals, many clubs vied for his signature.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger went high and low trying to convince the youngster to join his team.

The Frenchman organized some secret discussions with the player’s representative in order to capture Ronaldo’s signature ahead of Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson.

Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier was equally interested in the 18-year-old’s services as he was heavily linked with the player.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta tried to lure Ronaldo to Camp Nou but his efforts were fruitless.

Despite Wenger’s regular contact with the youngster’s agent, Ronaldo chose to move to Old Trafford to develop his career.

The Portuguese star became a world-class player under Fergie’s’ watch and tutelage. He won his first Balon d’Or award while playing for the Red Devils before heading to Real Madrid in 2009. The rest is history as they often say.

The rise of a young player tagged ‘next Ronaldo’ by Old Trafford faithfuls

Just like the Portuguese player, academy product Marcus Rashford break into limelight at the age of 18, thanks to Louis Van Gaal’s interest in youth development.

The England international made the world go crazy with his wonderful display of skills and goalscoring prowess in his first season as first-team player in 2015-16 season.

Though, he hasn’t won the Balon d’Or award yet, the youngster was nominated among the world’s most creative youngsters in 2016-17 season.

He was equally nominated for the best U21 player of the year in the same season.

These recognitions were confirmation that he isn’t just a young Manchester United player, but also signify that he has a great future ahead as long as he maintains a high level of humility and he’s ready to learn from the best.

The Setbacks

Football is a game with many setbacks and once they occur in any youngster’s career, they tend to slow down the pace of their development.

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Injury, change of manager, new players and loss of form often have negative effects on youngster’s development.

In Rashford’s case, the addition of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal during the previous season halted his blistering and pacy rise to fame.

Irrespective of his fine form in the early part of last season, Mourinho dropped Rashford from his starting lineup so as to integrate the Chilean star into his team.

His form drastically dropped as results of his bit-part role under the Portuguese manager. However, the England international has regained his form and he’s back to Mourinho’s starting XI.

Real Madrid show Interest

Just like Cristiano Ronaldo who left for Santiago Bernabeu having spent some years at the Theater of Dreams, Marcus Rashford is being tracked by Real Madrid.

According to Manchester Evening News, the 21-year-old striker is being tipped as Solari’s prime target ahead of the January transfer market.

Is Rashford ready for Real Madrid’s challenge, will Mourinho sanction his move to Santiago Bernabeu, will he become a Balon d’Or winner with the Spanish giants?

Time will give perfect answers to the these questions