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Rashford discusses Ronaldo comparisons and looking up to Beckham and Scholes

Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford has been discussing comparisons between himself and five time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as how he looked up to Red Devils greats David Beckham and Paul Scholes during his time as an academy prospect.

Manchester United face Everton tomorrow at Old Trafford and it will be the 4,000th consecutive game in which an academy graduate has featured for the club.

Rashford has opened up about how crucial seeing how hard the likes of Beckham and Scholes trained to perfect their craft was to his own development and how he now feels he is an example to younger players coming through the clubs fabled academy.

The England international has been in the form of the career in recent months, netting 13 times in 14 appearances for club and country.

22-year-old Rashford’s pace, trickery and dead ball skills have seen his compared to United icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who developed into one of the World’s greatest footballers during his stay at Old Trafford.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently admitted that he does see similarities between Rashford and Ronaldo, although the Red Devil’s number 10 has admitted that he finds the comparisons somewhat overwhelming.

“It is a bit overwhelming but it is the process of development,” Rashford told the BBC.

“The players I looked up to are obviously older now. The younger players look up to us. The transition happens so fast. When I understood that, my perception of that picture changed a little bit.

“When I was younger and saw people such as Beckham and Scholes on the walls, it gave me that determination every time you went to training. I wanted to reach those heights. I knew they were on the other side of the building, training every day and working hard. I was so far away from them but so close at the same time.

“It’s happening now where people like me and Scotty [McTominay] are an example to some of the academy lads who are coming in.

“It will be the same in a few years’ time, when it’s the next lot of kids. While that happens, I don’t see United’s breeding of players slowing down.

“The Ronaldo thing was nice, definitely a compliment. But I understand how far I’ve got left to go to reach the heights he reached so I am very clear-minded and focused on myself.”

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