MANCHESTER, England // The player who is all the talk at Manchester United right now is not listed on the 31-man squad on the back of the team's match-day program.
There’s even a section currently up on United’s website, posing the question many are wondering:
Who is Marcus Rashford?
Well, he is the 18-year-old rookie striker who has saved under-pressure United coach Louis van Gaal from even deeper scrutiny, and who could be a potential star of the future at Old Trafford.
Playing in his first match for United’s senior team as a late injury replacement, Rashford scored twice against FC Midtjylland to lead United’s recovery in a 5-1 win that qualified the team for the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday.
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With an injury crisis coursing through Van Gaal’s squad, Rashford is likely to be starting up front against Arsenal in a globally anticipated English Premier League game in front of nearly 80,000 spectators on Sunday.
It’s something of a whirlwind for a player who, before Thursday, had never started a game above under-19 level, and signed a professional contract at United only in 2014. Now he is the club’s youngest ever scorer in European soccer.
Van Gaal is clearly excited about Rashford’s potential, but is being cautious.
“It is fantastic (for him), but you have to be consistent and we are looking for consistent strikers,” Van Gaal said after the Midtjylland game, slightly puncturing the jubilant mood. “There are not so many on this earth.”
Of course, these are early days for Rashford and there are plenty of examples of where great starts to careers at United didn’t come to fruition. For every Wayne Rooney, who memorably scored a hat trick in the Champions League on his United debut, there is Federico Macheda – the Italian who scored on his first-team debut in April 2009 but has been on an unsuccessful tour of the English lower leagues ever since.
Rashford looks to have the composure and technique to go places, though.
Born and raised in Manchester, he comes from the same junior club – Fletcher Moss – that spawned former United players Wes Brown, Danny Welbeck, and Ravel Morrison. He has captained United’s Under-19 team and was the top scorer for the under-18s last season.
Against Midtjylland, he liked to get involved in play rather than just prey on the shoulder of the last defender. But his predatory close-range finishes for his second-half double showed a goalscorer’s instinct.
“In the first half he ran too much out wide,” Van Gaal said, “and I said he needs to be in front of goal to score.”
Rashford is arguably United’s sixth-choice striker – behind Rooney, Anthony Martial, James Wilson, Will Keane, and emergency targetman Marouane Fellaini. Those five are either injured or on loan (Wilson) so Rashford is likely to start against Arsenal, a game United needs to win to keep in touch with the top four.
“I watched him last night and he was quite impressive,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “I know all of their players – Rashford I didn’t know.”
He’ll know more about the kid come Sunday evening.
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About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 3
Sadio Man 28'
Andrew Robertson 34'
Diogo Jota 88'
Arsenal 1
Lacazette 25'
Man of the match
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
