Rashford: They’ve showed themselves

Rashford knows all about grabbing an opportunity in the first team, having scored braces on both his senior debut and Premier League bow – against Midtjylland and Arsenal respectively – back in February 2016.

Our no. 10 believes the Academy lads – and plenty of them were involved on the tour of Thailand and Australia, plus the recent friendly with Rayo Vallecano – did their chances of featuring this season no harm.

“They’ve done well and showed themselves to the manager,” said Rashford.

“They were confident on the pitch and they gave 100 per cent and they’ve given themselves a good opportunity.

“Who knows what can happen throughout the season – it’s important that everyone’s ready and they definitely had a good start on the tour.”

As well as the young players, Marcus has been impressed by the manner in which our three new signings, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, have adapted to life in Manchester.

“They all bring something a little bit different and also off the pitch as well, they bring something new to the dressing room,” he added.

“That’s important because it’s a long season and you need each other and to keep each other going and I know they’ll bring that off the pitch.

“On the pitch, they’re comfortable on the ball and they can all play good football.

“We’re all looking forward to the season as always and we’re definitely looking forward to playing with the new players.”