Luton defender shares what it’s like trying to stop Marcus Rashford

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Dean Henderson made his competitive debut as Manchester United saw off Luton 3-0 last night.

There was also a debutant on the home side too with Luton defender Peter Kioso making his bow.

The full back was playing National League football a year ago, and lifted the lid on going from that to trying to stop Marcus Rashford.

Rashford came off the bench to net United’s second goal and Kioso told Luton Today what it’s like trying to stop a player he had only previously watched on television.

“It is interesting coming up against him (Rashford) and it definitely does show you how quick he is as well,” said Kioso.

“A couple of the boys are battering me in the changing room, saying that he’s left me, but I said ‘hey, nothing you can do.’

“As a player it was like me watching them on TV, it is good, but as a footballer knowing that I need to play against then, I can’t be in awe of them.

“I can’t sit down here and be like ‘wow, that’s amazing,’ but it is good to play against them, although I have a job to do on the pitch.”

Rashford hasn’t been at his best since his return from injury but he added an injection of speed and quality last night.

Hopefully getting off the mark for the season will boost his confidence and he will improve during league action.

The difference Rashford made probably underlines why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been so reluctant to leave him out of the side in the league.

He offered incision and penetration unmatched by Jesse Lingard last night or Daniel James against Crystal Palace.

He just needs to be managed carefully because he was overplayed in the first part of last season and that is eventually what led to his injury.

Solskjaer needs to make sure Rashford can get up to full form and fitness, instead of being flogged week-in, week-out and continuing to struggle.

Player and manager alike will hope that last night’s goal can be the catalyst for a strong run of form against Premier League opposition in the coming weeks.

Hopefully they’ll find there’s nothing they can do to stop Rashford either.

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