I played against Marcus Rashford and Wilfried Zaha - one was better despite his issues

Former Premier League champion Marc Albrighton claims Wilfried Zaha was a better player than Marcus Rashford.

Rashford and Zaha have both been hailed as two of English football's most promising attacking talents at different stages of their careers. Zaha, after impressing at Crystal Palace, was signed by Manchester United for £15million in January 2013, while Rashford was still a schoolboy in the Red Devils' academy.

However, Zaha failed to impress then-manager David Moyes and was eventually sold back to Palace, where he excelled as one of the league's most direct and effective wingers until his exit in 2023.

Rashford, who made his debut for the United first team in February 2016, became a beacon of hope for the club for several seasons, playing in Zaha's preferred left-forward position. However, with the 27-year-old's relationship with his boyhood club now broken, Rashford's time at United is also set to end in disappointment.

The parallels between Rashford and Zaha, both in terms of their positions and their United careers, prompted retired goalkeeper Ben Foster to ask former Leicester City winger Albrighton who he thought was the better player in their prime on the Fozcast.

Albrighton, who faced both players multiple times, spoke openly about the talent and temperament of his former rivals, saying: "I would say Zaha. He's a better player. I think what he did at Palace was incredible. He carried that team for so many years. Got his move to United, it didn't work out, he came back and carried them for a few more years."

He continued by saying: "However, playing against him and seeing him up close, like his attitude sometimes, I thought that isn't good in a dressing room. You'd even speak to some of the Palace players and they'd be losing their heads with him. I just thought that isn't what you want in your dressing room.

"So who would you want in your dressing room? I know things with Rashford aren't great at the minute either... But as a player, Zaha [is better]."

For several years, speculation swirled around Zaha potentially making a big-money transfer to Arsenal - but such a move never materialised at the peak of his powers. Crystal Palace rejected a £40m offer from the Gunners in June 2019 during Unai Emery’s tenure.

After his contract at Selhurst Park expired, Zaha moved to Turkey in the summer of 2023, signing with Galatasaray on a three-year contract. His debut season was a success, winning a Super Lig title while notching 10 goals and five assists. Yet reports emerged that he was unsettled in Istanbul and he joined Lyon on loan in August 2024.

Zaha endured a torrid time in Ligue 1 as he was regularly left out of the matchday squad, leading to his loan being terminated earlier this month. He signed a one-year loan deal with MLS club Charlotte FC last week.

Zaha's career in the MLS will officially kick off on February 22 when they travel to Lumen Field to face Seattle Sounders. The following week will see him play at the Bank of America Stadium for the first time as Charlotte host Atlanta United.

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