When rashford broke through and we heard people calling him the next best English player since sliced bread there was me, calling him a bit of a kick and run merchant. That was very very unpopular opinion at the time as we know how the English media hype train goes. I wasn't that impressed. So I consider myself a harsh critic especially as you can see Rashford has become a good player for us (20 goals this season and counting). But for me 'great' players have something else and you can notice it straight away even when they are young.
With mason, this guy is 100% the real deal, he has that x factor. Combination of great attitude (always hungry for the ball, always looking to score from any position he receives the ball, not hiding at all) and brilliant technical ability, this kid has got it. I saw the same thing with Messi when he was 18, i couldn't believe that he was only 18 years old and playing like that. Now i'm not saying Mason will be as good as Messi, i'm just saying i have the same feeling with Mason as i did when observing 18 year old Messi.
He is by far the best academy player Ive seen in the past 15 years for us. He is what I'd expect to see come out of Barca's youth system. Very comfortable on the ball, brilliant dribbling, knows where to be and when to go, comfortable shooting with both feet, and the only way you're getting the ball is by fouling him. That's classic Barca Youth player characteristics.
This guy is up there. I'll say he'll be one of our best players in this clubs history should he choose to stay his career here