Marcus Rashford was viewed in the "same category" as Paul Pogba, according to former Manchester United under-21 manager Warren Joyce.
Wigan Athletic manager Joyce will return to Old Trafford on Sunday to face Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round -- bringing back memories of when he coached the likes of Rashford, Pogba and Jesse Lingard, before joining the Latics in November.
Joyce told The Sun: "There are certain tick boxes for the X-factor players. Some -- like Pogba -- tick every box. The more Xs in those boxes the more difficult it is to reach the very top. But Marcus is in that same category as Pogba.
"He's a good footballer as well as a goal scorer. He's clever, he's tough, he's quick. You could stick players like them in all sorts of situations. They can almost play anywhere on the pitch.
"They can run, tackle, head it, they can score, pass it, dribble, they can keep ball. And they have the big hearts."
Joyce has been credited with nurturing a conveyor belt of talent at United over the past two decades but he said that coaches who believe they "make" players are deluded.
The Wigan boss explained: "Take Paul Pogba who I spent two-and-a-half years with, the first time at United.
"I knew then that he was desperate to be a successful player at United, still is. Certainly he has God-given talent and has to hone it of course. But any coach who says they have 'made' a Pogba, Rashford or a [Wayne] Rooney are deluded.
"The talent they have is genetic. Pogba has it. He has fantastic physical, technical and mental attitudes. But he also has a massive heart and that is part of what helps him tick every box.
"You look at them then and look at them now and they pretty much get to where you thought they would."
Joyce admitted that he may not have been popular with his young players at the time he was at the club -- but his relationship with them can change when they leave.
He said: "You end up with a different relationship to being the horrible sergeant major that they will probably have been accustomed to before reaching the next level.
"You are tough and ruthless and probably said some of the worst things you could ever imagine within dressing rooms or training grounds. Then when they've developed and gone on to flourish, you start speaking to them like a man."