Louis van Gaal will be remembered at Manchester United, in part, as the man who unearthed Marcus Rashford.
It was the Dutch manager who handed the then-18-year-old a first-team debut in February 2016... almost by accident. Had Anthony Martial not been injured in the warm-up ahead of a Europa League game against FC Midtjylland at Old Trafford, Rashford would have stayed on the bench.
Indeed, he wouldn't even have been a substitute had Wayne Rooney or Will Keane been fit. Rashford was so convinced he wasn't going to play that he told his mum, Mel, not to bother going to the game. Instead, she watched his two goals on television.
For those not familiar with United's youth set-up, Rashford came out of nowhere. He started what would be his breakthrough season playing for the club's Under-18s in a 1-1 draw with West Brom and coming off the bench for the U-21s in a Lancashire Senior Cup tie against Rochdale.
He was included in Van Gaal's squad for trips to Watford and Leicester in November 2015, but never got close to coming on. And that is remarkable, looking back, given that United needed a last-minute own goal to beat Watford and drew with Leicester.
After that, it was back down to Warren Joyce's U-21s; five days before his spectacular debut, Rashford played on the wing in a 1-0 reserve-team defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Three days later he scored two against Arsenal on his Premier League debut and, by the summer of 2016, had netted the winner in a Manchester derby, played in an FA Cup final and been part of the England squad at the European Championship in France.
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Rashford turns 20 on Tuesday, having scored 26 goals in 87 club games. By way of comparison, Wayne Rooney managed 22 in 54 appearances for United before his 20th birthday and Cristiano Ronaldo got 11 in 73 before the same milestone.
There is a caveat that Rooney and Ronaldo played first-team football elsewhere before moving to Old Trafford -- Rooney for Everton and Ronaldo for Sporting -- but neither had the same responsibility during the early part of their careers that Rashford has been forced to shoulder.
Rooney started three consecutive games twice in his first six months at United and Ronaldo started three consecutive games twice in his entire debut campaign. Rashford, meanwhile, didn't get a rest until he had made 15 appearances for the first team.
Those who know him best say he has not changed since becoming a regular. He has upgraded his car and a boost in salary, thanks to a long-term contract signed in May 2016, has helped move his family from council estates in south Manchester to Hale.
He is looked after by his older brothers, Dane and Dwaine, and still has the same group of friends; it's just that, now, they watch him play for United. Last season he caused a stir when turning up to watch his mates play for Bacup Borough against Charnock Richard in the Hallmark Security League First Division. Rashford paid the £5 entrance fee to watch Bacup win 4-1.
At the age of five, Rashford joined Fletcher Moss Rangers -- the club that also helped develop Danny Welbeck, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Jesse Lingard -- and was part of an U-7 team that won a tournament at Hough End Playing Fields.
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"By the semifinals there was a crowd around the pitch," Dave Horrocks, Fletcher Moss academy development officer, told ESPN FC. "There were scouts all over the show. It was because the lads were playing so well. From then on there were teams following him."
At nine Rashford joined United, but not before briefly training with Manchester City. While he is a United fan, half his family support their bitter rivals.
"He just loves to play football so one night he would be at City and the next night he would be at United," says Horrocks. "He is still all about football. He is an extremely focused boy. He has taken on board everything that his coaches have said to him."
Rene Muelensteen, credited with aiding Ronaldo's development, honed Rashford's skills and Colin Little, who scored more than 200 goals for Hyde United, Altrincham and Crewe, taught him how to be a better finisher in his capacity as United academy coach.
"You can still see the things Muelensteen taught him in the way he runs with the ball," says Horrocks.
It has all helped Rashford reach his 20s as one of the best young players in the world, though his former coach does not buy into the part of the story that suggests it all started with a slice of luck.
"There was something Howard Wilkinson said when he was caretaker manager of England," says Horrocks. "He said he doesn't believe in luck. He said it doesn't exist. He said luck was where preparation meets opportunity. Marcus prepared himself and, when the opportunity came, he took it. It's been the making of him."
Source: espn.co.uk