Marcus Rashford's Rise Highlights Chelsea's Failures with Dominic Solanke

The contrasts between Dominic Solanke and Marcus Rashford couldn't be any more striking.

Both are being billed as the future of English football on the back of their goalscoring exploits. Whereas Solanke has been a youth-team star for Chelsea, however, it's where it matters most that Rashford is making his name.

The Manchester United striker scored on his debut for the club in last season's UEFA Europa League and hasn't looked back since. He followed up his brace against Danish side FC Midtjylland in February with another double just three days later against Arsenal in a 3-2 win.

A further four goals followed, including the game's only tally as United toppled rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Within seconds of making his England debut in late May, Rashford scored against Australia to book his place in Roy Hodgson's Euro 2016 squad.

On Tuesday, a hat-trick on his England under-21s debut sent his reputation into the stratosphere.

All the while, Solanke is becoming known for things away from the pitch. Despite scoring a combined 61 goals for Chelsea's youth teams from 2013 to 2015—Rashford's record in the same period is 17, less than a third of Solanke's—the 18-year-old is making headlines for apparent wage demands as he seeks a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

According to reports in the Sun in May, Chelsea were planning to exile the youngster until he lowered those expectations. The plan was apparently to block any loan moves for Solanke, who is in the last year of his contract, and make him spend that time in the development teams at Stamford Bridge.

The transfer deadline has since closed until January, and, with the teenager still in west London, it seems Chelsea have followed through on that threat. Of the 38 Chelsea players on loan, Solanke's name not being among them is a shock.

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He is supposed to be one of the club's brightest young talents, but all Chelsea fans have seen of him in first-team colours was a brief substitute appearance before a loan move to Vitesse Arnhem last season. New head coach Antonio Conte featured Solanke as an unused sub in the recent EFL Cup tie with Bristol Rovers, but we shouldn't be expecting to see him much more.

Solanke is listed as part of Chelsea's first team, but his profile on the club's website also has him down as part of the development squad, so we can surmise he doesn't figure in Conte's plans for this season at least.

In the meantime, Rashford's star is soaring. But who would have predicted this even 12 months ago? Back then, the United starlet was hardly on the radar. Solanke himself wasn't being discussed widely, but with his superior goalscoring record, he was creating the buzz.

Just six weeks in their birth dates separate Solanke and Rashford—the Chelsea man turns 19 on September 14, with Rashford celebrating his birthday on Halloween.

In terms of their careers, though, the gap couldn't be any greater. Rashford is racing ahead, while Solanke remains stagnant.

It's a crying shame, as his presence in Chelsea's youth teams should have earned Solanke a chance at Stamford Bridge. Forgetting the off-field politics of contract negotiations, he's been a victim of Chelsea's policy of promoting reputations over potential.

Solanke moved on loan to Vitesse last season when Radamel Falcao arrived to apparently bolster former manager Jose Mourinho's options in attack. Just 12 appearances, one goal and countless weeks on the sidelines with injury, the Colombian proved a massive failure.

Falcao flopped more spectacularly than he had the previous season while on loan at Manchester United.

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Despite all that had come before, Chelsea were willing to risk an injury-prone striker over promoting a youth-team prospect. While in the Netherlands, Solanke hit seven goals for Vitesse in 25 league appearances, suggesting his output at Stamford Bridge would have at least rivalled Falcao's.

The fact Solanke was on loan despite Chelsea's limited options up top is what disappointed most. When the Blues had no available strikers at times last year—either through injury or suspension—the Reading-born youngster should have been available to take his chance. That's how it worked for Rashford.

It was out of necessity more than choice that then-United boss Louis van Gaal picked Rashford. The Red Devils had no other option given injuries, and now the club has a rising star on its hands.

Even with the addition of Zlatan Ibrahimovic this season, Rashford is making waves, scoring United's late winner against Hull City on August 27.

He's got the sort of momentum that Solanke must crave. It's come through an element of luck but equally through having the platform to show his wares. Rashford is ticking off the milestones with almost every appearance he makes for club and country, yet the Chelsea man can't even get a minute, let alone a game.

Even with just two recognised strikers at the club, Conte is preferring to transform Ruben Loftus-Cheek into a frontman over giving Solanke game time to develop his undoubted talents.

That has to change if Chelsea's youngsters are to ever achieve anything. Of all the players coming through, Solanke's record is the most impressive. It's not subjective—61 goals in 67 games in two years speaks for itself. There's no debate to be had.

It was those sorts of stats that made the careers of Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen. They were prolific in Liverpool's development teams, and it meant the club couldn't turn them away.

At Chelsea, it seems youth-team form isn't the barometer that first-team status is judged by, and their up-and-coming players are suffering for it. There are too many loan moves and not enough opportunities.

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"I'm tired of moving abroad," Lucas Piazon recently told Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail. "One, two, three loans, maybe that's enough."

The Brazilian has been a regular member of Chelsea's loan army in recent seasons, his move to Fulham this year being his fifth such transfer.

He should be thankful, though. At least he's getting opportunities. As for Solanke, it's not clear what the future holds.

Premier League defences should be getting alerted to Solanke, but as it stands, it's his fellow team-mates who must heed the warning of his plight.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.