He may have scored 22 goals in 35 games in all competitions this season but it would be "silly" to put Marcus Rashford in the "world-class" bracket, according to Simon Jordan.
The 25-year-old Manchester United forward has been in fine form of late. In fact, no player in Europe's top five leagues has scored more goals than Marcus Rashford since the World Cup ended.
And he continued that hot streak on Thursday night, when he scored United's opener in an entertaining 2-2 draw against Barcelona in the Europa League.
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Rashford's performance at the Camp Nou earned praise from many, including former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan, although the former Crystal Palace chairman refuses to believe he is 'world-class' just yet.
Speaking alongside Jim White on talkSPORT, he said: “You’re seeing Marcus Rashford in this ridiculous vein of form.
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"What I have always pushed back against is the characterisation, he is a world class player and that he is on an elite position.
"I think he is a very good player, you do not get to play for Manchester United, in whatever guise they are, if you are not a very good player. But I don’t think he is [world class].”
When asked to back up his claim, Jordan said Rashford needs to prove himself on a more consistent basis to earn that tag.
“He is in a rich vein of form," he added. "He is in a remarkably confident state of mind. Even the goal he scored the other day, which was disallowed, he was so sharp, it was out of his feet and then, bang, back of the net. You can see that in a player, you can see when their confidence is brimming.
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“Confidence and moments of time are one thing, a body of work and a consistent level of attainment, that puts you above everybody else, that’s the usage of the word world class."
Jordan added: “We throw first class around like it is confetti. There are very few world class players. You can name them on a couple of hands.
“At this moment of time, while Rashford’s form is extraordinarily good, I think it is a bit silly to call him world class. To say, at this moment of time he is at the top of his game, I think that’s a fair assessment.”
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Do you think Rashford deserves the 'world-class' tag or does he need to prove himself further?
Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Marcus Rashford, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Barcelona
Jack Kenmare