Rashford can be future Man United great: Mata

Manchester United striker Juan Mata believes that teammate and teen sensation Marcus Rashford is "a great player in the making".

The 18-year-old footballer once again stole the show on Sunday after scoring the decisive goal in United's 1-0 win over city-rivals Manchester City. Rashford now has five goals in eight senior appearances and became the youngest ever scorer in a Premier League Manchester derby with his latest strike.

Mata, who set up the game's only goal, has hailed the forward as a future star but stressed he must be given the time to develop.

"Marcus showed again that he is a great player in the making. We all believe in him. Although we must remember he's still very young and he's just arrived in the first team," Mata was quoted as saying by Sky Sports on Monday.

Rashford's fellow United academy teammate Jesse Lingard echoed the sentiments and revealed he is helping the youngster to remain focused.

"He was buzzing but I was keeping him grounded. He is already grounded anyway to be fair and is looking forward to the rest of his career," Lingard joked.

United's win moved them just one point behind fourth-placed City in their battle for Champions League qualification for next season.

"It is a massive win and a massive boost going into the international break. But we have to kick on now and focus on beating Everton," Lingard added.