Manchester United have an extraordinary record of producing attacking talent. It is an identifiable feature that runs deep in the club's cultural DNA.

Indeed, at the time of writing, no other team in Premier League history has had more goals scored by teenagers than the Red Devils' 104, three more than the next-best side for this metric, Liverpool. But who have the youngest goalscorers been for the club, and how have their careers panned out since bursting onto the global stage at such a young age? GIVEMESPORT looks at the 10 youngest goalscorers for Manchester United in Premier League history.

Ranking factors

• Played for Manchester United in the Premier League (1992 to the present day)
• Age at the time of scoring their first Man United goal

10 Giuseppe Rossi

Beginning our countdown is Giuseppe Rossi, a player most fondly remembered for his time at Fiorentina and six years with Villarreal, where he scored 82 goals in 192 appearances, seeing him become the club’s all-time top goalscorer, a record only recently surpassed by Gerard Moreno.

At United, who he joined at 17, it wasn’t the same story. His Premier League debut came as a 78th-minute substitute against Sunderland in October 2005. He made an instant impact, adding a third to United’s 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light, but his Premier League never took off from there, making just five appearances before being loaned to Newcastle United and then Parma.

9 Adnan Januzaj

Adnan Januzaj was the ultimate teenage prodigy. Having joined United from Anderlecht at 16, Januzaj’s spell-binding breakout season provided perhaps the only spark in what was an otherwise miserable David Moyes tenure.

His long-awaited Premier League debut came as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace on the 14th of September, but it was his first senior start, away to Sunderland, that caught people’s attention. With United trailing, the Belgian scored twice to complete the comeback, and that same month he signed a new five-year deal, putting an end to speculation surrounding his future.

Januzaj was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year, having played just ten matches for the first team, but from there, things went south. The following season finished with the winger failing to score in all competitions, and his United career quickly stalled, resulting in a string of loans away from the club, first to Borussia Dortmund and then Sunderland, where he was reunited with Moyes.

The Belgian saw his career briefly reinvigorated after a permanent move to Spanish side Real Sociedad, but now, still just 29, he finds himself without a club.

8 Nick Powell

Nick Powell will likely look back on his career choices with a tinge of regret, after making the £6 million switch at 18 from his boyhood Crewe Alexander, where he became the club’s youngest-ever player and scored the decisive goal to ensure their promotion to League One in the Play-Off Final at Wembley.

Like Rossi and Januzaj before him, Powell’s Man United career offered so much initial promise, scoring a driven effort from range on his Premier League debut in a 4-0 win against Wigan Athletic, who he joined on loan the following season, scoring several important goals of real quality as the Latics enjoyed their first ever European campaign.

Less successful loans to Leicester City and Hull City followed before returning to Wigan on a permanent deal, having only made nine appearances across four years with the Red Devils. After a productive three seasons with Wigan, Powell moved to Stoke City, where, after an underwhelming first campaign, he also delivered, finishing the 2020/21 season as the club’s top scorer and Player of the Season. After two subsequent injury-hit campaigns at Stoke, Powell finds himself back in League Two with Stockport County.

7 James Wilson

A product of the club’s illustrious academy, James Wilson’s post-Man United career has followed a similar trajectory to that of former teammate, Powell. Having consistently impressed for the club’s youth sides, Wilson got his first taste of Premier League football under the temporary management of Ryan Giggs in May 2014, when he started and scored twice in a 3-1 win over Hull.

The striker failed to replicate the same scoring form the following season, finding the back of the net once in January 2015, and by the end of the year, he was sent on loan to then-Championship outfit Brighton and Hove Albion. At the Seagulls, he performed well, scoring five goals in 25 league appearances, before being loaned out to Derby County, Sheffield United and Aberdeen, whom he joined permanently ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

In January 2020, Wilson returned to Manchester, signing for Salford City, where he stayed for 18 months until his release. Since the summer of 2021, Wilson has been starring for Port Vale, where he has made his most career appearances to date.

6 Alejandro Garnacho

The most recent addition to this list, Alejandro Garnacho is showing his quality across Man United’s front line as one of a few consistent performers in an otherwise disjointed campaign under current boss, Erik ten Hag.

Garnacho, who doesn’t turn 20 until next month, joined the Red Devils in October 2020 from Atletico Madrid and quickly made his mark, leading United to FA Youth Cup glory the following season, scoring in the final.

His first goal for the Red Devils came in a 2-1 away win at Fulham in November 2022, and it was worth the wait. The Argentina international drove inside from the left, playing a quick one-two with Cristian Eriksen before poking the ball into the far corner in the final few seconds to win it.

Unlike other names in this list, Garnacho has only gone from strength to strength, going from 19 Premier League appearances that season to grabbing 10 goal contributions in 30 this campaign.

5 Rafael da Silva

Rafael da Silva earned somewhat of a cult hero status with the Man United supporters across his seven years with the club. Joining from Fluminese, along with his identical twin brother Fabio, who also represented the Red Devils over several seasons, Rafael endeared himself to the United faithful for his tireless work rate, energy, and pace.

His first season in England ended with a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination, but he had to wait until November 2008 for his first goal, a well-struck 90th-minute volley which was only a consolation in a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal.

The Brazilian went on to make an impressive 170 appearances for the club, before signing for Ligue 1 side Lyon, where he remained for five seasons. After a brief spell in Turkey, Rafael, along with his brother Fabio, is back in his homeland with Botafogo.

4 Marcus Rashford

Undoubtedly the biggest name on this list, Marcus Rashford’s sustained success has continued off the pitch, taking on the powers that be in his campaign for all children to be the beneficiaries of free school meals.

But let’s stick to his footballing career because it has shimmered, slumped, and stalled since making his competitive senior debut in 2015. Rashford, now 26, garnered significant praise and plaudits during his time in United’s academy, regularly playing several years up, and training with the first team squad aged just 16.

Rashford’s Premier League debut came on the 28th of February in what was to become an iconic fixture against Arsenal, with the then-18-year-old starting up front, scoring twice and assisting once. His international debut came just three months later in a pre-Euros warm-up match against Australia. Rashford scored the game’s opener with a goal that made him the youngest Englishman to ever score on his international debut.

The forward has gone to represent England on 60 occasions. Despite enduring periods of adversity and inconsistency, Rashford has made 398 appearances in all competitions, scoring 131 times, and assisting 64.

3 Mason Greenwood

Mason Greenwood looked set for a similarly meteoric rise as Rashford, breaking the latter’s record as United’s youngest-ever goalscorer in European competition, and just like Rashford, making his Premier League debut against Arsenal four days later.

The left-footed forward enjoyed his first real breakout season in 2019/20, scoring 10 goals in 31 Premier League appearances, the first of which came in an enthralling 3-3 draw away to Sheffield United in late November, Greenwood scoring from close range to make it 2-2 just moments after coming on.

Last summer, after a significant period out of the Manchester United side, Greenwood joined Spanish side Getafe on an initial loan deal with the promise of regular football. The 22-year-old has scored six goals and registered five assists in 26 La Liga matches.

2 Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck had a debut that most can only dream of. It was a home fixture in mid-November 2008 against Stoke City. With the score 3-0 in favour of the hosts, the academy starlet entered the scene, replacing Ji-sung Park and 15 minutes later, Welbeck made it four, unleashing a storming effort from outside the box that flew into the top right corner.

His United career took him to 2014, scoring 29 goals in 142 in that time, before landing a move at Arsenal where he established himself as an effective forward option for the Gunners, bettering his record at United with 32 goals in 126 matches.

With Arsenal’s ambitions and demands increasing, Welbeck made the switch to Watford before finding his way to Brighton, where he remains a key player to this day. Incredibly physical with match intelligence and a habit of stepping up in the biggest moments, Welbeck may just be one of the Premier League’s most underrated forwards of the last 15 years.

1 Federico Macheda

In at one is the enigmatic Federico Macheda. Famous for producing one of the most iconic debuts in Premier League history, and then disappearing.

Manchester United versus Aston Villa. The scores tied at 2-2, the last few remaining seconds ticking away. This was Macheda’s moment. A low pass from Giggs found the feet of the Italian, who chopped inside and curled an effort beyond the reach of Brad Friedel. The goal took United to the top of the table, and that’s where they stayed to claim their 11th Premier League title.

Across all competitions, Macheda incredibly made 36 appearances, scoring five and assisting five times before being sent out on a series of loans in the hope of furthering his development. His most successful spell away from the club was his last, at Birmingham City, where he scored 10 goals in 18 league appearances. He stayed in England with Cardiff and Nottingham Forest before returning to Italy for two seasons and then to Greek side Panathinaikos, where he scored 36 goals over four seasons.