Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Marcus Rashford will not be leaving Manchester United in January.
With the 19-year-old having struggled to make an impact this season playing out wide, the Red Devils might have considered allowing him to further his development elsewhere.
Yet, Mourinho insists that the striker-come-midfielder is still part of his plans. In fact, he’s even promised him he won’t be signing a striker because he knows he can play the starlet up front when needed.
“The biggest trust I give him is when I told you that I don’t want another striker,” he said, via Goal.
“I don’t want one. Why? Because I have Rashford.
“He’s always there. He’s always selected, he’s on the team, he’s on the bench when he doesn’t start. He comes on and he has different kinds of experiences.”
Rashford hasn’t actually scored since the 4-1 win over Leicester on September 24, and other Premier League teams have seemingly wised up to his abilities.
As to why his excellent progress has halted this season, Mourinho explained:
“What happened to him last season was really fast and was a consequence of a situation that we are not having this season.
“He’s fine. He’s going in the right direction. He’s a good kid, a good professional with the right mentality.
“He’s always ready to learn and improve. This kid is going in the right direction.”
It’s easy to forget that it’s less than a year since Rashford made his debut, as he’s now a regular feature in the England side.
While he’s only scored four goals this season, it’s fair to say his role in Mourinho’s XI has completely changed since Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s arrival.
If you believe the speculation, it seems the United boss is going to stay true to his word, as United haven’t been linked with too many strikers. What may be a bigger concern for Rashford is if the club sign another attacking midfielder to play behind the forward – like Antoine Griezmann, for example – as that could make getting in the starting line-up that bit trickier.
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