**Marcus Rashford’s return to Man Utd is good for JJ Gabriel, who idolises him, but he can have an even bigger influence on another Man Utd wonderkid. **
Less than 24 hours after Man Utd put Ipswich to the sword in their 5-2 win, powered partly by a positive Marcus Rashford performance, the U21s kept their winning streak alive.
Leicester were the recipients of the latest beatdown by Man Utd U21s, who won 4-1 thanks to Shea Lacey’s brace, and a goal each by Amir Ibragimov and JJ Gabriel.
Gabriel’s goal will steal the headlines again, but United have a “Rashford 2.0” in the academy who was quietly impressive yet again.
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images
Since signing from Spurs for an initial £4m, Tynan Thompson has largely developed away from the spotlight at Old Trafford.
He debuted for the senior team in pre-season, but then went back to the U21s once competitive action began.
Thompson shone on his debut for the U21s, in the dominant win against Ipswich, and against Leicester, he came off the bench in the 40th minute.
He picked up from where he left off against Ipswich, bringing his directness, dribbling ability, and two-footedness to add danger to the attack.
Wary of opponents thinking he’s too predictable, he assisted Ibragimov’s goal with a brilliant bit of traditional wing play.
Instead of cutting inside, he ran to the byline and expertly found Ibragimov with his “weaker” left foot to bamboozle the defence.
He mixed that with his mazy runs through the middle of the park, attracting multiple defenders, which created space for his teammates.
He constantly dropped short or ran in behind, mixing up his game just enough to keep defenders on their toes throughout his minutes.
Having watched a flowing Rashford less than 24 hours ago, it was impossible not to look at Thompson’s display and see shades of a young Rashford.
Rashford’s return is off to a good start on the pitch, but it can be even more relevant off the pitch due to the emotional bond he has as an academy player.
With Thompson, there is an eerie similarity in playing styles, which ensures that the youngster can take pointers from Rashford to improve his game.
The bond with Gabriel is borne out of both players coming through the ranks at Carrington, since Gabriel is quickly developing into a different style of player.
Thompson, in contrast, is Rashford 2.0, with added unpredictability which Rashford didn’t have at this stage of his career.
Keep him under Rashford’s wing, and Thompson might just unlock his full potential. Rashford staying at United pushes Thompson down a place in the pecking order, but in the long term, it could have immense benefits.
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