Marcus Rashford posted an emotional message to Manchester United supporters on social media after scoring his 100th goal for the club on Sunday afternoon.
The England international, who turns 25 on Halloween, produced a superb header in the 1-0 Premier League victory against West Ham at Old Trafford. Rashford's winner has drawn comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, who is renowned for his towering headers.
"100 goals for this special club!" wrote Rashford. "I’ve been here since I was seven years old and came through every single age group and played on every single pitch so I want to thanks all the staff, my family and team mates that have helped make this achievement possible."
Rashford achieved the impressive milestone in 318 games for the Red Devils. He famously scored twice on his debut in the Europa League against Danish outfit Midtjylland in February 2016 and has since established himself as one of United's biggest stars.
The forward's goal against the Hammers could prove to be one of his most important come the end of the season. The result has pushed United up to fifth in the Premier League table - just a point behind Newcastle in fourth with a game in hand.
It's the second time within four days Rashford has scored a header for United, also doing so against Europa League rivals Sheriff on Thursday night. Gary Neville believes his winner against West Ham is similar to one Ronaldo would score at the Stretford End.
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"I love goals like that!" said Neville on commentary. "This is Cristiano Ronaldo heading form. I don’t see Rashford do that too many times.
"But he’s got one of the best headers in the world to watch every day in training and that was just like him. There’s a real intent in Rashford’s game in this first half. His confidence is back. It wasn’t so long ago people were saying he should be sold."
Fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp added: "What a header from Marcus Rashford. I genuinely didn’t think he had it in his locker. Eriksen does so well to lose [Tomas] Soucek with a nice step in the build up. For me, it’s a magnificent header."
There were calls for Rashford to be transferred in the summer after he scored just five goals in all competitions last season. He's already surpassed that tally this term, finding the net seven times to give himself a great chance of being selected for the World Cup.
Rashford hasn't played for England since 2021 due to his poor form but will be confident of a recall. He will also be hopeful of securing a new contract, as his existing deal expires in the summer. United can automatically extend that contract by a further 12 months.
On scoring his 100th goal, Rashford told Sky Sports: "[It's a] beautiful feeling. Something I have been working on, I feel I need to score more goals like that and keep getting in those areas. Pleased that I have managed to score today and it's always good to score regardless of whether Gareth Southgate is watching or not."
