When Marcus Rashford forced Ibrahimovic to applaud with incredible footwork in 2016

Marcus Rashford has emerged as the go-to man for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, one of the major outlets for Man United to find the back of the net over the past two seasons. However, it was back in 2016, when the then 18-year-old Rashford forced his former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic to stand up and take notice after his brilliant performance in pre-season.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic joins Man United in 2016

Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined Man United in July 2016 from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) under the influence of then-manager Jose Mourinho. During the same time, Rashford emerged onto the scene after scoring a brace against Midtjylland and Arsenal. Ibrahimovic got to know first-hand what the youngster was capable of, which he proved to the world in the coming seasons.

Man United were up against Galatasaray in a pre-season friendly at the Ullevi Stadium and registered a blistering 5-2 victory. Incidentally, this was Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s debut in a Red Devils shirt and he opened the scoring within four minutes of kick-off. However, he was subbed off before the first half, with Marcus Rashford being introduced to take his place.

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Marcus Rashford surprises Zlatan Ibrahimovic with his skills

Marcus Rashford, 18 at the time, raced past defender Sedar Aziz before being brought down by the goalkeeper. Despite failing to score, Rashford created a wave of excitement on the Man United bench, particularly Ibrahimovic, forcing the Swede to rise and applaud Rashford with a look of surprise on his face.

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Marcus Rashford is the future of Man United: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

During an interview with Mirror in 2019, Zlatan Ibrahimovic lauded Marcus Rashford as the future of the Red Devils He claimed that the England international initially played more individually, but has now evolved into a team player who has an immense influence on proceedings. Ibrahimovic asserted that Rashford has no limits and it was special considering the fact that he has come up all the way from the club's academy. 

Marcus Rashford has racked up 19 goals for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season along with eight assists across all competitions. The striker played a crucial role in his side's recent victory against Sheffield United, bagging two assists in the game. His side next play Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday.

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Image courtesy: premierleague.com