The Premier League title being won at Old Trafford is nothing new, but the fact that Manchester United will not be the champions-in-waiting will make for a strange occasion on Sunday.
Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City, the most unlikely English champions, possibly of all time, can be crowned Premier League winners with a win tomorrow.
Manchester United vice-captain Michael Carrick has been speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the clash – and has been discussing another big success story of the season, the emergence of 18 year old striker Marcus Rashford.
Rashford came into the team as a last minute replacement for Anthony Martial in the side’s Europa League match against FC Midtjylland in February. He scored twice in that game, and has since gone on to score seven goals in fourteen appearances and solidify his status as one of the year’s breakout stars.
So good has his form been,in fact, that neither Martial nor Wayne Rooney have been able to dislodge him from the striker position.
He has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise frustrating season for Louis van Gaal’s side – though an FA Cup win would at least bring some sort of dignity to the Dutchman’s tenure.
Carrick said:
“It’s a little bit of a fairytale in a way.
“If you have asked Marcus, he would have probably wanted to get himself into the U21s on a regular basis and taken it step by step. But he got thrown in after Anthony’s injury and he has never looked back since.
“He seems to getting stronger, better and better, and he doesn’t look out of place or as though he’s is going to be a quick fix – he looks like he’s got all the capabilities of being here for an awful long time.”
Manchester United’s own Premier League season is far from over – they remain in the hunt for a Champions League spot, and cannot afford to drop any more points or they run he risk of losing sight of Arsenal and Manchester City.
Given that they need the win more than the away side tomorrow, it promises to be a fascinating match.