Owen is benchmark for Rashford

Rapid Rashford off to a fast start...

Marcus Rashford has made serious waves at Old Trafford with four goals in two senior starts for Manchester United - the question now is: is he the real deal?

Prior to his 'double double' against FC Midjlland and Arsenal, the 18-year-old looked a prospect, but not one in the Wayne Rooney or Michael Owen bracket. 

With only two caps for England at youth level, Rashford averaged just under a goal a game for United's Under-18s, but - rather amazingly - now has more goals to his name as a United senior player than as an Under-21. 

Marcus Rashford Manchester United [Jun.A S18] Total

59 Matches   4713 minutes

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Marcus Rashford Manchester United [S21] Total

8 Matches   296 minutes

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Marcus Rashford Manchester United Total

2 Matches   170 minutes

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A quick look down United prodigies of yesteryear, shows that Rashford is in decent company - only Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda having opened their Premier League accounts more quickly. 

Youngest #MUFC PL scorers
Macheda - 17y 7m 15d
Welbeck - 17y 10m 21d
RASHFORD - 18y 3m 29d
Rafael - 18y 4m 0d #BPL

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) February 29, 2016

Youngest #MUFC scorers (all comps) since 92/93
17 Macheda (PL)
17 Gillespie (FA)
17 Welbeck (PL)
18 Richardson (LC)
18 Rashford (EL)

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) February 29, 2016

In fact, Rashford leads the pack when it comes to the quickest double by a baby-faced assassin: the Manchester-bred striker beating the likes of James Wilson and Adnan Januzaj in this category.

Youngest #MUFC PL braces
RASHFORD - 18y 3m 29d
Wilson - 18y 5m 6d
Januzaj - 18y 8m 1d
Rooney - 19y 0m 22d #BPL

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) February 29, 2016

He may be something of a whippersnapper, but Rashford is getting on when compared with the Premier League's youngest-ever goalscorer James Vaughan, who is one of only three players - all English - to score as a 16-year-old. 

#BPL youngest goalscorers
Vaughan 16y 8m 28d
Milner 16y 11m 23d
Rooney 16y 11m 26d
Fabregas 17y 3m 22d
Owen 17y 4m 23d

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) February 29, 2016

Michael Owen may not have got off the mark as quickly as Vaughan, but the former England international was phenomenal as a youngster, and perhaps the watermark Rashford should measure his progress against. 

#BPL Youngest braces
Owen 18y 1m 25d
Bridges 18y 3m 26d
Rooney & RASHFORD 18y 3m 29d
Wilson 18y 3m 6d#playmaker

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) February 29, 2016

#BPL Youngest hat-tricks
Owen 18y 2m 1d
Fowler 18y 6m 22d
Owen 18y 8m 7d
Bart-Williams 18y 9m 28d#LFC #playmaker

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) February 29, 2016

Owen is in the record books as the youngest-ever Premier League player to bag a double, a hat-trick and a four-goal haul - the quicksilver striker hitting a sensational 'poker' in a 5-1 win over Nottigham Forest at the tender age of 18 years, 10 months and 11 days. 

#BPL Youngest 4-goal hauls
Owen 18y 10m 11d
Fowler 20y 5m 15d
Yakubu 21y 5m 24d
Fowler 21y 8m 6d#LFC #playmaker

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) February 29, 2016

Rashford is in line to start his second Premier League game against Watford on Wednesday - the chance to write more history, while continuing to reinvigorate Louis Van Gaal's stuttering troops, awaits.