Marcus Rashford didn’t hesitate when naming his three toughest opponents including former Man Utd teammate

Time flies, and Marcus Rashford is no longer the young prodigous talent he once was. Still, that means he has lots of experience now, and has come up against some of the very best players in the world during his Manchester United career.

The forward has remained with the Red Devils through some tough times, with the team struggling to perform, and the player himself even coming in for plenty of criticism from fans and pundits alike.

But, be it for club or country, Rashford has rubbed shoulders with some incredible players and has played at the highest level for almost a decade now, but who is the toughest of them all?

Interestingly, when asked that question over the years, Rashford has picked out an unlikely Arsenal defender, a revered Liverpool star, and one player who ended up joining him at Manchester United.

Speaking to United’s official website in 2016 (via Football365), Rashford highlighted former Gunners' player Laurent Koscielny as a difficult opponent, saying, "I think, individually, it would be Laurent Koscielny at Arsenal. He was a difficult defender to play against."

Of course, that was a long time ago, and Rashford's growing experience has led him to face an array of other incredible defenders since.

Marcus Rashford in action against Paris Saint-Germain. Image: Getty

At a fan Q&A in 2021, Rashford relayed to United’s official website that there are different kinds of challenges, be it a particular way a team sets up, or individual opponents who are hard to beat.

He said: "I think an individual is different to a unit. Some teams defend really well as units and it’s teams like Burnley, for example, who do everything as a four. So, if one pushes up, they all push up. If one drops, they all drop. It can be, at times, difficult to find space.

"But then there are some top individual defenders — Virgil van Dijk, Sergio Ramos. I thought, when we played against Real Madrid in a friendly, that Raphael Varane played and he was quite tough. So, there are a few people."

Raphael Varane- Getty

The latter joined Rashford at Old Trafford shortly after that Q&A, but injury issues hampered his progress with United. Varane left the club this summer, but again, injuries got in the way and after just two months with Como, the Frenchman retired from football.