Tim Sherwood has backed Ruben Amorim to turn Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford into a ‘superstar’.
Rashford scored the first goal of the Amorim era in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town, turning home Amad Diallo’s cross inside two minutes to give the Portuguese boss the perfect start to his tenure.
The early goal felt like a turning point for a team sitting in the bottom-half of the Premier League table but United’s flaws were exposed by newly-promoted Ipswich, who secured a well-deserved point through Omari Hutchinson’s deflected strike on the stroke of half-time.
Amorim admitted he had a huge job on his hands after the Portman Road stalemate as he looks to implement his ideas on a struggling Manchester United squad.
One of the players who has struggled most over the last 12 months is Rashford, who went five months without a goal before ending his drought in mid-September.
His goal against Ipswich was his first in eight games but despite his struggles in front of goal, Sherwood believes Amorim can turn Rashford into a ‘superstar’.
‘There are two names in particular I’m excited about working with, if I’m Ruben Amorim, and one will be a big surprise to people,’ Sherwood told Ladbrokes.
‘I think Alejandro Garnacho is one. He’s got an awful lot of tools, but he’s still got a lot to learn. He needs to put things in the right place, you know, he still performs, and a lot will depend on where he’s going to play.
‘But I think he can be a big player for Amorim. Bruno Fernandes is obviously someone the manager will already know, and for me he’s Man United’s best player.
‘But Amorim has got an opportunity here, to spark someone into life, and I think he will… and that’s Marcus Rashford.
‘I’ve said it before, but I think Marcus Rashford has the tools to play for the best teams in world football. I’m talking about his capabilities; he could absolutely do it for the best teams in the world.
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‘But sometimes he loses his way, or something happens, and he just has too many off days, and doesn’t have the level of consistency.
‘A lot will depend on what’s going on between his ears, but I think that if Marcus Rashford can work, and get a chemistry with Ruben Amorim, we could end up with a completely different player to the one we’ve seen in recent years.
‘We all know there’s potential there, and potential is fine up to a point. But we need to see it turned into a permanent.
‘We need to see consistent performances, and someone like Marcus, with his ability, and his pace, and the goals we know he can score, is someone I think Amorim will really be excited by.
Ex-Premier League boss Tim Sherwood (Picture: Getty)
‘Man United fans might say many managers have tried and haven’t been able to do it, but if I’m Ruben Amorim, going in, and assessing that team, I’d be looking at him as a project.
‘I think he could make Marcus a superstar. I really do believe that. Start enjoying it.
‘You know, start smiling, and loving life, because you’re at the biggest club in the world. Now is a perfect opportunity for him to do all of that.’
Manchester United poached Amorim from Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon after deciding to sack Erik ten Hag at the start of the month.
‘I think Ruben Amorim could be the most exciting move Man United have made since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club,’ Sherwood added.
‘The reason I say that is because he’s young. He’s like an entrepreneur going in, and you get excited about people like that, who want to come in and roll the dice and take a gamble, because they might show you something different.
‘When Jose Mourinho was in there, at first I thought it was a great fit: the biggest club in the world and the biggest manager in the world; it must be a match made in heaven.
‘It didn’t turn out that way, but this guy is going to be refreshing; he’s got life… you know, he’s only just started what he’s doing but he’s already used to success.
‘If I’m a Man United fan, this is the most excited I’ve been since Fergie left. Look, it’s easy in hindsight to look back at some of the names that have come in and question them.
‘The reason I wasn’t excited about Erik ten Hag coming in, for example, was because there wasn’t a list of clubs queuing up for him. But when you look at Amorim, everyone wanted this guy.
‘You know, Liverpool wanted him, Chelsea wanted him, West Ham flew him into London. He decided he wasn’t going anywhere… but when Man United came calling, he’s there.
‘That shows you the pull that football club still has… they’re the biggest club in the world, along with Real Madrid.
‘I think it’s the perfect fit, you’ve just got to give him the time. But the most refreshing thing for me, is that he’s got good football people around him at the club now.
‘INEOS have just got to let the football people take care of things, which I’m sure they will do.
‘[Jason] Wilcox and Dan Ashworth will get it right with the manager, and the manager will give the plan to his coaching staff, and with that, you’re leading the players to the water… from there, they either drink it, or they don’t.
‘If they don’t, then it’s up to the hierarchy to get them out of the door and bring the new blood in.’
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