De Gea backs 'unbelievable' Rashford to make United history

David De Gea has backed Marcus Rashford to make history at Manchester United following his "unbelievable" rise in recent months.

The 18-year-old scored the only goal of the game in Saturday's 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, taking his tally to seven goals in 12 senior appearances since his debut in February.

Manager Louis van Gaal admitted after the match that it is proving difficult to leave Rashford out of the team at present, and De Gea hopes he can continue his form for years to come.

"It's unbelievable, no?" he told MUTV. "This player is really young and he's scored many goals. Hopefully, for many years, he'll be in this club and can make history for the club as well.

"He's a shy guy, a really good lad and a good team-mate. He's a really good guy."

De Gea conceded United were not at their best against a Villa side who needed to win to avoid relegation from the Premier League, but he remains hopeful that the three points could yet prove crucial in the top-four race.

"We didn't play really well but sometimes you have to win games like today [Saturday] and take the three points," he said.

"We always try to give everything, we take the points and think quickly about the next game.

"We've defended really well this season and we need to continue until the last game and hopefully we will be in the top four. We need to win our games and wait for the rest of the teams. We will see in the end."