Five Man Utd academy players who were light years ahead of Marcus Rashford | OneFootball

Marcus Rashford is one of Manchester United’s finest academy graduates.

Many fans hoped Rashford would establish legendary status at United, but he has failed to match the achievements of past heroes.

Here are five academy players who were light years ahead of Rashford.

Ryan Giggs

Giggs holds the record for most appearances for Man United, and he is the club’s most decorated player.

He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year twice and PFA Players’ Player of the Year once, among several other awards.

He has been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions.

He scored 167 goals and registered 264 assists, the most of any United player, in 963 appearances.

George Best

The late Northern Irish forward is one of the best United have produced.

He is one of the two United academy graduates to have won the Ballon d’Or.

Best was a skilful winger, capable of getting past defenders with his sublime skills and pace. He could use the two feet, making it easy for him to get past his markers.

George made 470 appearances for United, bagging 179 goals and 11 assists.

Paul Scholes

Arguably the best midfielder to have played for Man United. Scholes was notably known for his brilliant passing range but was an all-round midfielder.

Described as ‘untouchable’ by former Real Madrid star Zinedine Zidane, Scholes had an illustrious career with United.

Scholes won 25 trophies, including 11 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice.

He was inducted into the English Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022.

Scholes made 718 appearances, notching 153 goals and 82 assists for the club.

Sir Bobby Charlton

He is widely considered one of the best footballers of all time. He is the second United academy graduate to be a recipient of the Ballon d’Or.

Charlton was blessed with pace, long-range shooting and stamina. He was also easy-going on the pitch.

The former English forward made 758 appearances for United, registering 243 goals and 24 assists.

He has also been inducted into the English Hall of Fame.

Duncan Edwards

Edwards was the best of the Busy Babes – the Red Devils’ academy graduates who progressed to the first team to win two back-to-back league titles.

He was one of the victims of the Munich Air disaster. He would undoubtedly have been one of the best players of all time if he had played longer.

Edwards was primarily a defensive midfielder but was regarded as a versatile player. He could use both feet and had good passing ability.

He made 171 appearances for the club, chipping in 21 goals and five games. He is also an English Hall of Famer.

Stats from transfermarkt.com and manutd.com.