IT was Jose Mourinho who best summed up how a footballer’s career can be here and gone in a flash.
Former Manchester United manager Mourinho said: “I am 56 now and yesterday, I was 20. Time flies. One day, you will regret if you don’t reach what you can reach.”
Mourinho was talking to Dele Alli in a documentary series while he was manager at Tottenham.
It could be a conversation Ruben Amorim has with 27-year-old Marcus Rashford now he is Old Trafford boss.
We all know what Rashford can do.
He burst on the scene aged 18 in 2016 with a Europa League double — his first United goals — on his debut against Midtjylland.
And we saw it two seasons ago, when he posted a career-best of 30 goals as United finished third and won the Carabao Cup.
The kid who grew up in Wythenshawe with the dream of playing for the Red Devils was in the spotlight.
But the floodlights have faded.
In the last 18 months, he has lost his place in the England squad, the United team and hit more headlines for what he did off the field than on it.
Partying after a defeat in the Manchester derby, out until the early hours in Belfast when he was due to train later that day.
Just recently as he prepared for life under new boss Amorim, he took the time off given for the international break to jet to New York.
He was court-side for the NBA match between New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, dressed in a long Louis Vuitton coat and sporting glitzy grillz.
Fine if you are on top of your game... not such a good look when you cannot find it.
And Rashford has not been able to find it for some time.
There were nine cry-offs from the last England squad for their final two matches under Lee Carsley and still he was not worth a call.
Which tells you where he is at.
Amorim employed Rashford up front for his first game in charge against Ipswich, on Sunday, mainly because Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are so bad.
Inside two minutes he took advantage of some great work by Amad Diallo to put United into the lead and then...he faded.
Red Devils fans have started cheering when he gets subbed now.
Previous boss Erik ten Hag was at his wits’ end with Rashford by the final days of his reign.
The Dutchman privately admitted he would have dumped him into the reserves after that Belfast party incident in January had he had enough players available to take his place.
Ten Hag did everything to protect Rashford and help him but was let down by the player.
Everyone knows there is a good guy there.
Rashford’s MBE for charitable work, helping the poor and hungry, tells you all you need to know about a man with a good heart.
And his tears when United won the FA Cup last season told you how much he loves the club.
But he has been too easily swallowed up by the celebrity and party lifestyle on offer to all young stars if they want it.
Amorim emphasised ahead of Thursday's Europa League match against Bodo/Glimt — who, with 6,500 fans at Old Trafford, will have one-eighth of the Norwegian city’s population in attendance — that the drive to get back to his best has to come from Rashford first.
It was the same mantra that came from Ten Hag.
Amorim knows playing through the middle is not his best position and will employ him wide, in the long run, in a 3-4-3.
The only problem is the shortage of alternatives.
United’s lack of goals has been a problem for some time and just three teams have scored fewer than their 13 goals in the Prem this season.
Rashford is top scorer with five in all competitions. Hojlund has two and Zirkzee one.
Amorim said: “There is a concern but we have to improve as a team. We have quality players who can score so many goals.
“But you could feel it in the second half on Sunday, we controlled possession of the ball but we were not dangerous.
“Maybe because we spend the week trying to work on build up and then the rest was not working.
“We will try to improve as a team and Rasmus and Josh and Rash will score more goals.
“Even Bruno Fernandes has to score more goals! Amad has to be better near the goal.”
Rashford has to improve and quickly.
Because today he might be 27 but tomorrow he could be 56.