Marcus Rashford completes fairy tale rise from Manchester United U21s to England Euro 2016 squad in three months
Teenager has only played 19 senior games since scoring twice on his debut in the Europa League in February
MARCUS RASHFORD has completed one of the most amazing three month journeys in English football history.
Other teenagers have risen from nowhere to represent England at major tournaments in the past - notably Michael Owen in 1998 and Wayne Rooney in 2004 - but unlike that pair, who had full seasons behind them, the Manchester United striker has managed his in just THREE MONTHS after Roy Hodgson named him in his Euro 2016 squad.
Few but the most dedicated of United fans would have known anything about the 18-year-old when former manager Louis van Gaal named him in the starting XI for a Europa League tie with minnows FC Midtjylland on 25 February.
Rashford had been an unused substitute just twice before that game and had been a solid, if unspectacular, performer for the Under-21s.
What has happened since is the stuff of fairytales.
Rashford scored twice on a brilliant debut but the cynics were still not impressed (it was only Midtjylland they sneered).
They certainly took notice three days later when Rashford again started, this time against Arsenal in the Premier League.
He scored another two goals in a superb 3-2 victory over the Gunners.
Between those two games and the rest of the season Rashford solidified his place as Man United’s main man. There were some inconsistent performances, as is to be expected from an 18-year-old, but Rashford continued to score.
He also continued to score important goals in massive games, as well as rejuvenating a tired, under-performing Manchester United squad.
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There was the poised finish in the 1-0 victory at the Etihad, the brilliant top corner curler in a tough FA Cup game at West Ham and another smart finish in the dreadful performance against bottom feeders Aston Villa.
His eighth and final goal of the season was a powerful drive against Bournemouth.
It didn’t stop there for the striker. He was a surprise name in Roy Hodgson’s preliminary 26-man England squad, getting selected ahead of experienced pros Jermain Defoe and Andy Carroll.
Again, the cynics argued he was only in to make up the numbers.
Then he started against Australia... and 135 seconds later became the youngest player to score on his England debut.
There was still more to come, as Manchester United tied him up to a long-term contract worth £25,000-a-week to make him a key part of the Jose Mourinho revolution.
Still, had the striker done enough to convince Roy Hodgson to take make him part of the squad for Euro 2016?
You bet he had.