Marcus Rashford has credited former manager Jose Mourinho and ex-team mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic with helping him develop into the player he has become. Rashford has explained that his former teammate Ibrahimovic, who spent a year-and-a-half at the club, played a vital part in giving him the right mentality on the pitch.
Marcus Rashford said “His mentality was beyond anything that I’d ever played with before. He didn’t care what anyone would say to him, or what anyone was saying about him, in terms of his mentality he was key to my development. Especially, remember that time Jose was there because he was someone who had played under him before and knew you had to be a certain type of way to survive under him and I think that was good. It was tough, I think in five or six years time you look back on it and they’re the moments that give you that mental toughness because as an all round player I think I’ve improved a lot, and a lot of it is down to them two years under Jose Mourinho. Yeah we had ups and downs but when I look back on it it was a tough period but definitely a period that made me a better player.”
Rashford made his debut as a teenager and has gone on to become one of Manchester United’s most important players, thanks to his pace, skill and eye for goal. The 22-year-old was enjoying his most prolific season at Old Trafford this year with 19 goals and five assists to his name before a back injury ruled him out of action. Mourinho was in charge at United for two-and-a-half seasons before being sacked in 2019, after the atmosphere at the club became toxic, the football stale and the results poor.
