Marcus Rashford caught in the middle as Manchester City look to prise Manchester United starlet away from Old Trafford
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 09:11 EST, 8 May 2014 | UPDATED: 10:57 EST, 8 May 2014
- City are trying to sign United youngster Rashford, while Chelsea and Arsenal are also interested in the 16-year-old
Manchester City are chasing Marcus Rashford, the 16-year-old rising star at neighbours Manchester United.
The attacking midfielder is one of the most highly sought after talents for his age group but United have yet to wrap up terms on a new contract.
City are particularly keen while Chelsea and Arsenal also have an interest.
United are reluctant to pay out big-money contracts and constantly risk losing some players due to greater financial incentives being offered at other clubs.
Although many would argue United's principled stance is to be admired, the harsh reality is many of the youngsters or their representatives will be swayed by the better contracts.
Rashford is a Man United fan and is still committed to the club, but that won't stop rivals from making legitimate offers.
There is a growing feeling within United that they will have to bend their past policy if they are to continue to compete.
While James Wilson is one shining light on the horizon, they are not blessed with an abundance of prospects and it is a facet of the club David Moyes wanted to address and one Louis van Gaal will do also.
The flip side is that the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have problems when some of their young players sense they will not make any progress and want to leave.
Chelsea have an issue arising with highly-rated defender Andreas Christensen. The Denmark U21 centre half wants to play more games and other clubs, such as City, will offer the promise of a quicker route to the first team.