Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is in the “same bracket” as Kylian Mbappe, according to Louis Saha.
Mbappe is widely considered among the best players in world football and has been tipped to win the Ballon d’Or in the future.
The 21-year-old has won four Ligue 1 titles with Monaco and PSG, and also starred in France’s victorious campaign at the 2018 World Cup.
Rashford is a year older than Mbappe and is still awaiting his first league title, but Saha believes the England international is on a par with his countryman.
"Ability-wise? Yes [they’re on the same level],” he told Compare Bet. “They’re both very fast players, they have the technical ability to get out of situations where they’re surrounded by two or three defenders.
"In terms of positions, Marcus and Kylian are quite similar. They like to play out wide but have also played up top. Kylian’s strength is that he is very direct, all the time. He doesn’t think twice.
"When he makes runs, you have to give him the ball, he’s so quick. That kind of directness is something we’ve also seen from Rashford.
"When he started, he was asking questions of defenders – 'are you quick enough and good enough to keep me quiet for 90 minutes?'
"In terms of quality, they’re definitely in the same bracket. Mbappe has been able to achieve more consistency and approach the game without having to think too much.
"With United, Rashford has been part of a team in transition, so he couldn’t really express himself. He had to be a leader when perhaps it wasn’t his strength at first.
"He had to build qualities which should not have been his initial focus. Mbappe has taken advantage because he’s been able to play with PSG players who are at the very top level, so he’s been able to build confidence and try different things, a platform that Rashford hasn’t had so far.”
Rashford has scored 14 Premier League goals this season and will be looking to add to his tally when Sheffield United visit Old Trafford on Wednesday.
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