Stuart Pearce insists Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has a lot to prove

Former Manchester City defender Stuart Pearce believes that there is still a long time to go before Manchester United sensation Marcus Rashford is branded as the real deal and above the likes of other precocious talents like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

Former Manchester United player Phil Neville is of the impression that Rashford is "in the same bracket" as Barcelona summer signing Dembele and Paris Saint-Germain summer addition Kylian Mbappe.

Dembele moved to Camp Nou from Borussia Dortmund for a club-record deal while Mbappe joined PSG on loan from AS Monaco with the former having an option to sign him on a permanent transfer.

United manager Jose Mourinho has fielded the England international in wide positions where he has thrived, scoring goals aplenty, while Romelu Lukaku has been leading the Red Devils' strike force.

Neville claims Rashford is worth the same as his more-celebrated counterparts and the 19-year-old United star has all the attributes to become a world-class player.

Rashford started as a central striker in United's 4-1 win over Burton Albion in the third round of the Carabao Cup. He scored a brace against the Championship side, taking his overall tally to five goals and two assists in all competitions this season.

However, Pearce reckons that there are a lot of instances of players who have shone as a youth product but fallen away later. He cited the example of Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, who broke onto the world stage as a teenager but has struggled to reach his potential since.

"Firstly, I have to put my colours on the mast and say he's an outstanding talent," Pearce told Sky Sports, as quoted by the Express. "There's a reservation from me as an ex-England youth type manager that says 'how many young English players have we bigged up that we are going to build a team around?'

"Andros Townsend? Micah Richards? The multitude of these young players, even Theo Walcott, that have been a little bit disappointing. "The Ox, Phil Jones? They've had a good career so far, but I expected a little bit more. That's why there is a reservation with me about Rashford."