The Champions League has afforded Marcus Rashford the opportunity to showcase his brilliance on the grandest stage, according to ESPN's Mark Ogden.
Ogden, joined Thursday evening's football show on Off The Ball to discuss the huge strides the English forward has made on the pitch in recent weeks.
Rashford's performances are trending upward and he should be considered in the same bracket as both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Braut Haaland at this point.
The main reason he isn't yet? Well, much of Rashford's time in European football has been spent in the Europa League, a factor that has held him back says, Ogden.
"He has spent most of his time in the Europa League, or certainly half his time."
"Unlike Mbappe and Haaland, who went straight into the Champions League and hit it fantastically, Rashford has had to put up with being in the Europa League so he has not had the chance to claim that stage as his own."
"He is older than Haaland and Mbappe, obviously. He's certainly got the skillset to be in that conversation. I am not saying he's better than either of them or worse, I think he is part of that new wave of attacking talent that when Ronaldo and Messi vacate the stage there will be new big stars, and I think he is in that bracket."
Rashford's leadership role, especially off the pitch, has been a beacon of light in a largely dreary year.
He has rightly received numerous plaudits for his exemplary work and activism, and his excellent recent performances on the park are eclipsed by this.
Wednesday's hattrick against RB Leipzig was the first a United player has scored in the Champions League since 2014 when Robin van Persie struck three times against Olympiacos.
If Rashford can continue this form there is no telling where he will end up when his footballing career is over.
"I think he has something about him, he has got the pace, he has got a trick, he could score more goals but maybe that is going to come into his game now as we saw last night," Ogden said.
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring his side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester.In order for this to happen, there has been speculation that he may be used as an out and out centre forward in the future.
Should that occur, Ogden believes a new arrival at Old Trafford can help Rashford convert into a ruthless goalscorer.
"I think having Edinson Cavani around will help him as well, even if it is just for the rest of the season."
"One thing that Jose Mourinho identified way back in 2016 was that Martial and Rashford had a good future but they weren't experienced enough to shoulder the burden and score the goals, so Jose brought in Zlatan Ibrahimovic who had a great season but then he got injured."
"He is still young and he needs that guiding hand and I think Cavani at 33, he has been around the block, he can help massively with Rashford on the training pitch and on the pitch as well."
After a pretty dismal start to the season, where United were beaten at home by both Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur there is a buzz around Old Trafford once more.
Ogden feels that the hierarchy at the club have to make sure they do right by the young superstars at the club and ensure that the parts around them in the team are strong in the coming years.
"Rashford and Greenwood will be stars for the next ten years, United have to do their best to keep them there."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
