Manchester Derby: Rashford vs Iheanacho
Ahead of what could possibly be the best Manchester Derby in recent years, we take a closer look at the two teenage sensation from both sides of town.
Saturday's Manchester derby - the most eagerly anticipated game of the season so far and a clash which will see hundreds of millions of pounds worth of talent take to the field at Old Trafford.
But for all the big-money signings on show, it could be two young men who cost a relative pittance between them who decides who comes out on top.
Manchester United starlet Marcus Rashford and young City striker Kelechi Iheanacho are the teenage jewels in the crowns and with the latter set for a possible starring role in the absence of the suspended Sergio Aguero, the battle between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola may well be decided by two men barely old enough to have left school.
Whether the pair feature at Old Trafford remains to be seen but what's certain is they both have exciting futures ahead of them in Manchester.
Marcus Rashford
Indeed, having scored the winning goal against Hull City recently and a hat-trick in a 6-1 victory over Norway for England U21s, Rashford has sent a clear message to Jose Mourinho that he deserves to start on Saturday.
In his 20 appearances for United, Rashford has nine goals and two assists at a strike rate of one every 161 minutes.
Those numbers might not be earth-shattering, but it's the striker's ability to do it on the big stage which marks him out as a real gem. Mourinho is a huge fan of Rashford and sees his best position as through the middle rather than in the wide channels.
As a home-grown product, Rashford is already a firm favourite with United fans and Mourinho could consider playing him on the left against City - possibly at the expense of Anthony Martial - if he were desperate to get him into the team.
That's unlikely to happen, but following his treble on international duty this week and his winner at Hull, Mourinho will know he has a man in reserve who he can call on for a goal.
Another strike for either Rashford or Iheanacho - who many fans would have struggled to recognise just 18 months ago - would continue the remarkable rise of both players to the top of the global game.
In truth the statistics show there's little to split the pair but Rashford, who seems to have the golden touch, is already a man used to dominating the headlines.
And given what we've seen from him so far, you wouldn't bet against him scoring another late United winner on Saturday.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Iheanacho should start though and the Nigerian has made remarkable progress through City's youth set-up, no mean feat given the amount of teenage talent at the Etihad. And you can see why too. In the 38 games he's played for City, Iheanacho has 14 goals at a rate of one every 92 minutes, impressive numbers for a man still making his way in the game.
Now, with Bony moving on loan to Stoke, he's in contention to start the biggest game of his City career so far. It would be only his eighth start for the club and his first under Guardiola.
At a little over six foot, Iheanacho isn't the biggest, but he is far from someone to be underestimated, as Southampton found out last season. The 19-year-old's brace at St Mary's in May, albeit in a 4-2 defeat, showed what he's all about.
A looping header followed by a superb left-foot shot announced Iheanacho to the wider world and if given the nod by Guardiola on Saturday, United will have to be wary. Eric Bailly has impressed at the start of his first campaign with United, but Iheanacho is likely to offer him a different threat with his runs in behind.
Iheanacho's shooting statistics - he averages nearly one shot per game - show he isn't short of confidence either. 'If I get picked I'm going to do my job,' he said earlier this week. 'Games like this mean a lot and it doesn't come bigger than a derby.'
And so, using last season's statistics - they've barely played this time around - here's a head-to-head analysis of the teenage sensations.
NB. Rashford made 11 appearances and played 855 minutes for United, whereas Iheanacho played 799 minutes across 26 games for City.
GOALS
It's advantage Iheanacho in the goalscoring department - but only where finding the back of the net is concerned.
The Nigerian might have scored eight goals last season, but his conversion rate (29% from 28 shots) and shooting accuracy (57%) are inferior to Rashford, who scored five times, converted 31% of his 16 shots and found the target 89% of the time.
Iheanacho might have scored more, but Rashford is arguably the more clinical of the two.
PASSING
Where pass completion is concerned, it's all evens - literally.
Of the 199 passes Rashford attempted during the 2015/16 season, 153 found their man (77%), whilst Iheanacho completed 266 of his 346 attempted passes (also 77%).
It's a different story where key passes are concerned, though, with Iheanacho playing 13 dangerous balls compared to Rashford's four.
The England international did record more assists (2) than his Nigerian counterpart (1).
DRIBBLING
What Rashford and Iheanacho do have in common is their willingness to beat opponents using their blistering pace and skill.
However, it's the latter striker that achieved greater success in one-on-one situations, having completed 72% take-ons last season.
Rashford, on the other hand, completed just nine take-ons, with a 26% success rate.
But before we jump to conclusions and say that Iheanacho is the superior dribbler of the ball, it's worth bearing in mind that Rashford clearly attempts to beat his man a lot more often; an inferior success rate is perhaps to be expected.
VERDICT
So, where do we go from here?
It really is too close to call - perhaps there isn't actually a winner - but Iheanacho just about edges the head-to-head because of his eight goals and creativity.
United fans will argue that the 19-year-old played more games than Rashford, but the vast majority of those appearances came from the bench with minutes to spare - he was rarely given much time to make an impact.
But the past is the past, and it's now up to these exciting teenagers to build upon their impressive seasons and establish themselves as important members of their respective squads.
But for all the big-money signings on show, it could be two young men who cost a relative pittance between them who decides who comes out on top.
Manchester United starlet Marcus Rashford and young City striker Kelechi Iheanacho are the teenage jewels in the crowns and with the latter set for a possible starring role in the absence of the suspended Sergio Aguero, the battle between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola may well be decided by two men barely old enough to have left school.
Whether the pair feature at Old Trafford remains to be seen but what's certain is they both have exciting futures ahead of them in Manchester.
Marcus Rashford
Indeed, having scored the winning goal against Hull City recently and a hat-trick in a 6-1 victory over Norway for England U21s, Rashford has sent a clear message to Jose Mourinho that he deserves to start on Saturday.
In his 20 appearances for United, Rashford has nine goals and two assists at a strike rate of one every 161 minutes.
Those numbers might not be earth-shattering, but it's the striker's ability to do it on the big stage which marks him out as a real gem. Mourinho is a huge fan of Rashford and sees his best position as through the middle rather than in the wide channels.
As a home-grown product, Rashford is already a firm favourite with United fans and Mourinho could consider playing him on the left against City - possibly at the expense of Anthony Martial - if he were desperate to get him into the team.
That's unlikely to happen, but following his treble on international duty this week and his winner at Hull, Mourinho will know he has a man in reserve who he can call on for a goal.
Another strike for either Rashford or Iheanacho - who many fans would have struggled to recognise just 18 months ago - would continue the remarkable rise of both players to the top of the global game.
In truth the statistics show there's little to split the pair but Rashford, who seems to have the golden touch, is already a man used to dominating the headlines.
And given what we've seen from him so far, you wouldn't bet against him scoring another late United winner on Saturday.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Iheanacho should start though and the Nigerian has made remarkable progress through City's youth set-up, no mean feat given the amount of teenage talent at the Etihad. And you can see why too. In the 38 games he's played for City, Iheanacho has 14 goals at a rate of one every 92 minutes, impressive numbers for a man still making his way in the game.
Now, with Bony moving on loan to Stoke, he's in contention to start the biggest game of his City career so far. It would be only his eighth start for the club and his first under Guardiola.
At a little over six foot, Iheanacho isn't the biggest, but he is far from someone to be underestimated, as Southampton found out last season. The 19-year-old's brace at St Mary's in May, albeit in a 4-2 defeat, showed what he's all about.
A looping header followed by a superb left-foot shot announced Iheanacho to the wider world and if given the nod by Guardiola on Saturday, United will have to be wary. Eric Bailly has impressed at the start of his first campaign with United, but Iheanacho is likely to offer him a different threat with his runs in behind.
Iheanacho's shooting statistics - he averages nearly one shot per game - show he isn't short of confidence either. 'If I get picked I'm going to do my job,' he said earlier this week. 'Games like this mean a lot and it doesn't come bigger than a derby.'
And so, using last season's statistics - they've barely played this time around - here's a head-to-head analysis of the teenage sensations.
NB. Rashford made 11 appearances and played 855 minutes for United, whereas Iheanacho played 799 minutes across 26 games for City.
GOALS
It's advantage Iheanacho in the goalscoring department - but only where finding the back of the net is concerned.
The Nigerian might have scored eight goals last season, but his conversion rate (29% from 28 shots) and shooting accuracy (57%) are inferior to Rashford, who scored five times, converted 31% of his 16 shots and found the target 89% of the time.
Iheanacho might have scored more, but Rashford is arguably the more clinical of the two.
PASSING
Where pass completion is concerned, it's all evens - literally.
Of the 199 passes Rashford attempted during the 2015/16 season, 153 found their man (77%), whilst Iheanacho completed 266 of his 346 attempted passes (also 77%).
It's a different story where key passes are concerned, though, with Iheanacho playing 13 dangerous balls compared to Rashford's four.
The England international did record more assists (2) than his Nigerian counterpart (1).
DRIBBLING
What Rashford and Iheanacho do have in common is their willingness to beat opponents using their blistering pace and skill.
However, it's the latter striker that achieved greater success in one-on-one situations, having completed 72% take-ons last season.
Rashford, on the other hand, completed just nine take-ons, with a 26% success rate.
But before we jump to conclusions and say that Iheanacho is the superior dribbler of the ball, it's worth bearing in mind that Rashford clearly attempts to beat his man a lot more often; an inferior success rate is perhaps to be expected.
VERDICT
So, where do we go from here?
It really is too close to call - perhaps there isn't actually a winner - but Iheanacho just about edges the head-to-head because of his eight goals and creativity.
United fans will argue that the 19-year-old played more games than Rashford, but the vast majority of those appearances came from the bench with minutes to spare - he was rarely given much time to make an impact.
But the past is the past, and it's now up to these exciting teenagers to build upon their impressive seasons and establish themselves as important members of their respective squads.
Manchester Derby: Rashford vs Iheanacho
Reviewed by Admin
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01:32:00
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Reviewed by Admin
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01:32:00
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