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Manchester United's Marcus Rashford nearly joined Crewe on loan - coach

Manchester United had an approach for striker Marcus Rashford a week before his debut, from Crewe Alexandra, according to a coach at the Cheshire club.

Crewe were having a tough season, eventually going on to finish cut adrift in bottom place in League One, while Rashford was a little-known 18-year-old, at the time of the discussion in February.

Crewe first-team coach James Collins, a former midfielder at the club, said in the Crewe Chronicle: "I spoke to [United under-21 coach] Warren Joyce earlier in the season about taking him on loan for us.

"Warren said we couldn't because they needed him for their under-21s. A week later he made his debut for the first team and the rest is history."

Having made his United debut on Feb. 25 against FC Midtjylland, Rashford scored eight goals in 18 appearances for United -- then scored in his only appearance for England before being called into the Euro 2016 squad.

Crewe, meanwhile, were left struggling for goals, with only two players finishing the last campaign with a total of more than two league goals over the course of the season.

Collins credited former United manager Louis van Gaal for giving the player his big break.

The Crewe coach said: "Marcus Rashford could easily still be languishing in United under-18s because the manager hadn't put him in.

"But, whatever you say about [Louis] Van Gaal, he threw them in, maybe through injury. He has taken his chance -- fair play to the kid.

"How many other Marcus Rashfords are out there in these academies? I think quite a lot."

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