Sam Allardyce believes Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rashford will struggle to keep playing into his 30s at the top level of football.
The youngster recently made his 150th senior appearance for the Red Devils, having first burst onto the scene for the club in 2016 with two goals on his debut against FC Midtjylland.
Rashford is now United’s main striker under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having scored five goals in six games since his appointment.
Solskjaer even recently hailed the 20-year-old as being at the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney when they racked up 150 games in a United shirt.
Rashford has netted 41 goals for Manchester United during that time frame. By comparison, Rooney had managed 45 and Ronaldo just 25 at the same stage of their Old Trafford careers.
But, Allardyce fears for the striker’s long-term fitness, given the amount of games he has played for club and country at such a tender age.
Speaking on Tuesday’s Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, the former Premier League manager said: “It will be very difficult for him to still be playing at 30, because of the demand physically and mentally and the fatigue he will suffer.
“He’ll have three weeks a year off. That’s it. There’s no pre-season any more. They go playing straight away in these tournaments, he’ll play all over the world and he’ll play for his country.
“Even if he doesn’t get any major injures, by 25 he’ll have niggles just from wear and tear.
“The knees and ankles, the hips, his back will start being a problem as he goes on.
“It wont stop him playing but I think later on in life it will bring his career to an end quicker.
“If you’re looking at the Premier League now, there are fewer players over 30 playing now than ever.”