Marcus Rashford overlooked Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah when selecting the ‘best player in the Premier League.’

Marcus Rashford did not include Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah when selecting the ‘best player in the Premier League.’

At 27, Rashford shared his choice during a conversation with former Manchester United captain Gary Neville on The Overlap in July 2023.

The Manchester United academy graduate, currently on loan at Aston Villa, participated in a rapid-fire Q&A session with Neville, 50. Among the topics discussed, he named Barcelona’s Camp Nou as his favorite away stadium and identified his former United teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović as the best dressing room personality.

“He’s just himself no matter where he goes,” Rashford explained.

It is worth noting that Rashford made these remarks before the 2023/24 season, shortly after Manchester City secured a historic treble by winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.

One of the standout players during that campaign—and across the last decade—was Kevin De Bruyne. Rashford named the Belgian as the Premier League’s best player over the past “four or five years.”

When asked who the best player in the league was at that moment, Rashford responded:

“Last season [2022/23], it was definitely Haaland, but I think over the last four or five years, De Bruyne 100%.”

Despite the intense rivalry between Manchester United and Pep Guardiola’s side, Rashford went on to praise another then-Manchester City player. He named Kyle Walker—now on loan at AC Milan—as his toughest-ever opponent.

“His physical capabilities are just unbelievable,” Rashford said.

“It’s always going to be a tough game against him.

“You have to try and catch him off guard or get him in the wrong positions, but even then, he can recover. It’s always a difficult challenge.

“I just try to drift into spaces where he can’t follow or where he has to pass me on. And when he does, I pull back slightly, away from the defensive midfielder or wherever the coverage is.”

The 27-year-old also shared that he prefers playing as a left-winger, despite occasionally being deployed as a central striker.