Mourinho: Rashford is such a good boy

Jose Mourinho has claimed that next season we will see the best of Marcus Rashford, perhaps suggesting that the youngster will be used in a more central role in 2017-18.

This year, he has largely been forced wide to accommodate for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is Manchester United’s top scorer, but who has also missed twice as many “big chances” as other strikers in the league.

Mourinho has sung the praises of Rashford’s professionalism and reckons he will return to his scoring ways next season, having scored just seven goals this season.

I cannot buy a striker more experienced than Zlatan, right? We have Marcus, we believe in Marcus, that’s no doubt. Are we going to buy a striker? Maybe.

I think Zlatan’s number of goals is a good number for every striker. I think all the others, and I’m not just speaking about the strikers but the attacking players. The attacking player with freedom has to always reach a certain number of goals that, added between them, gives a lot of victories and points. No-one reached that target.

One thing’s for sure, Marcus is having amazing experience on the pitch this season, playing in every competition – Europe, the Premier League, the cups, Wembley, finals. He’s having an amazing experience which, after the hurricane that he was last season when he arrived, it’s giving him a hell of an experience.

He’s such a good boy and such a good professional, I think this is a fantastic learning experience for him. Even with not scoring goals, next season he will. Next season will be a good season for him.