Raheem Sterling: ‘If I Had Rashford’s Shot, I Wouldn’t Pass The Ball’

The Manchester derby had a lot of talking points as Manchester United stole a brilliant win over Manchester City. Goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial set the stage for the Red Devils as the Sky Blues only had the consolation of the headed goal from Nicholas Otamendi.

Many feel that this loss could effectively mean the loss of Pep Guardiola’s hopes of winning the Premier League title three seasons in a row as Liverpool now command a seemingly unassailable 14 point lead over City at the top of the table, still undefeated.

Further, United’s win was one engineered through the collective efforts of its players and the standout brilliance of performers like Rashford, Fred and, Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports before the game, Raheem Sterling had already praised Rashford’s stellar ability stating: “I tell him [Rashford] when we’re at the training ground [England], ‘If I had your shot, I wouldn’t pass the ball’ — the last national camp we were on, I could see the shift in mindset in him.”

He interestingly also mentioned: “I think Marcus is a no.9 for me. If he plays as a no.9 week in and week out- scary. How composed he is. I can see how focused he is.”

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It is evident that he has great respect for his compatriot.

When quizzed about Rashford’s development, Sterling responded by stating: “He’s a massive asset to the national team. He’s someone that if he’s doing well, I and the team will be benefit from. He is someone I am really happy to see thriving and doing so well because he has got the ability.”

On Saturday, Sterling got to see Rashford thrive once more, even as his own attempts and history of not scoring against Manchester United continued, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka effectively pocketing him during the entire game.