Football
ESPN staff 7y

Marcus Rashford 'can be as good as Antoine Griezmann' - Phil Neville

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford can go on to become as good as Antoine Griezmann in "two or three years' time," Phil Neville has told The Times.

Atletico Madrid and France forward Griezmann is reportedly a summer transfer target for Jose Mourinho, but Neville thinks United already have a player on their books who can match him.

"Marcus Rashford is good enough," he said. "Marcus will need challenging all the time because he's got so much ability.

"You have got to be inspired by Griezmann [potentially] coming in. Marcus can be as good as Griezmann in two or three years' time."

Neville also said that working alongside and learning from Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be hugely beneficial for Rashford and teammate Anthony Martial.

"You have to be inspired by playing with Zlatan," he added. "Anthony Martial is the same -- he's got the biggest opportunity to become one of the best Man United No. 9s if he grabs that opportunity.

"At the moment he's only grabbed it with one hand -- he needs to grab it with two. Martial and Marcus have to learn from [Ibrahimovic], who's phenomenal."

Luke Shaw has struggled to break into the United team, and often the matchday squad, in recent weeks and Neville has called on the England international to up his game in order to win Mourinho's trust and a regular place in the side.

"It would be criminal if Luke doesn't make it as a Man United player, a crying shame," Neville said. "The opportunity is there for him.

"United don't have a left-back. Luke hasn't grabbed that opportunity and it's disappointing.

"You have to train, behave and be a professional to a certain level for Mourinho. Luke's obviously not doing it at a certain level consistently.

"Jose speaks well of Luke, says he's got the ability. But Luke's going through what Henrikh Mkhitaryan went through, somebody else Jose didn't really trust.

"Jose couldn't rely Mkhitaryan in big games, to track runs, to play as part of the team."

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