Manchester United

Paul Scholes: 'Marcus Rashford can learn from Ruud van Nistelrooy ruthlessness'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 20 April 2020

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes that Marcus Rashford has the ability to emulate the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy as a centre-forward at Old Trafford.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has opened up on the qualities that made Ruud van Nistelrooy the best finisher he played with at the club and believes that Marcus Rashford has the attributes to follow suit.

Scholes played with a host of legendary strikers during his long and illustrious Old Trafford career, including the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Eric Cantona, Mark Hughes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Carlos Tevez and Teddy Sheringham.

However, he believes that Van Nistelrooy topped the lot in terms of finishing and is confident that Rashford can also prove to be a success as a centre-forward despite more commonly playing off the left in recent years.

"I played number 10 with Ruud for a season - and I loved it. He's just a ruthless, ruthless goalscorer. He just lived for scoring goals. Whenever he did score or didn't score, the first thing he would do when we got on the team bus after the game was see if Thierry Henry scored," Scholes told the Manchester United podcast.

"And if Henry had scored he wouldn't talk to anybody for the full trip home because he was so engrossed in being the leading goalscorer, not just at United but in the league, in the world, everywhere. I loved the way Ruud finished as well. I played with some unbelievable centre-forwards. You are thinking Cole, Dwight Yorke, Sheringham, Solskjaer. There are loads. There are some unbelievable goalscorers. But, to me, Van Nistelrooy was the best finisher.

"I always remember watching Marcus in the reserve team, when he was an out and out centre-forward. Sometimes I would go to games and just watch him and not really watch where the ball was. I'd look for his movement - is he clever enough to have that link with a midfield player? I think he has that. I was really excited when he first got into the team, a little bit luckily at first - I think there was an injury to someone.

"But ever since he has got into the team he has shown the talent he has got as a centre-forward or a player wide on the left. I always remember seeing him as a kid and I thought his intelligence and his movement was as a centre-forward. He looked like an out and out number nine, but now you see him in games now he seems to enjoy it more from the left-hand side."

Rashford has made 201 senior appearances for United to date, scoring 64 goals and assisting 31.