What happened to the Man Utd youngster who made his debut on the same day as Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford scored twice on his Manchester United debut in February 2016 - and the rest was history.
Rashford was initially named on the bench by manager Louis van Gaal as United prepared to take on FC Midtyjlland in a Europa League last 32 second leg clash.
However, Anthony Martial suffered an injury in the warm-up - with Rashford being United's only fully-fit striker available to take his place.
The then 18-year-old rewarded Van Gaal's trust by scoring two second half goals in the second half at Old Trafford.
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He would keep his place for the Premier League fixture at home to Arsenal three days later, and again netted a brace.
Over nine years, 424 appearances and 134 goals later, Rashford has embarked on a new chapter, having signed for Barcelona on loan with an option to buy.
There was one other player who debuted on the same night and has had a much different career path.
Centre-back Regan Poole was rated as one of the top prospects in United's academy at the time, with the club having fended off Liverpool to sign him from Newport in 2015.
What happened to Regan Poole?
The Wales youth international had already been playing for Newport in League Two at the age of just 16, and he received international clearance to officially begin playing for United earlier in the month of his Old Trafford debut.
United were hardly blessed with numbers in defence during that campaign, largely due to injury issues, and Van Gaal had already given opportunities to youngsters Paddy McNair, Tyler Blackett and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson.
Given that Poole had only played twice for the academy before receiving his Europa League call-up, it was clear that he would soon be the next cab off the ranks.
He appeared as an 89th-minute substitute for Ander Herrera in what would be a 5-1 win over Midtyjlland.
Poole then played for Wales at the U21 Euros in the summer of 2016, before spending a much calmer 2016/17 with United's U21s.
The following campaign, the Welshman was loaned out to League One side Northampton Town, who were then managed by the former Tottenham defender Justin Edinburgh.
The centre-back would return to United the following summer ahead of what would prove to be a pivotal season in his career.
Poole failed to make another appearance for the senior team, and would be released from his contract at the end of the campaign.
At the age of 21, he was in-demand from a number of EFL clubs and ultimately opted to sign for third-tier side MK Dons, where he would spend the next 18 months.
Spells at Lincoln City and Portsmouth would then follow, with Poole playing a small role in Pompey's promotion to the Championship in 2024.
He made 27 appearances in the second tier last season, and was an almost ever-present between February and May after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Despite being in the bottom three for much of the campaign, John Mousinho's side eventually stayed up comfortably thanks to a strong late season run and their home form at Fratton Park.
Pompey won 11 of their 23 games at home - which would have placed them eighth - but were 23rd in the form table for away matches.
The Portsmouth News describe Poole as 'clearly [a] Championship performer' and he appears set to enjoy another season at Fratton Park.
He made his international debut in October 2023 and, following that accolade, reflected on his time at United.
"I was at such a young age when the move came about. It was such a shock," he admitted.
"But it was something I had to do. I look back on my time there and they improved me so much as a person and as a player.
"I loved my time there and I think it's showing now how much they improved me."
He continued: "I know it was only one game but I can say that I played for Manchester United, and not many people can say that. So I look back on that and think, 'Well done'."
Topics: Premier League, Football, Marcus Rashford, Man Utd
Ryan Smart