Marcus Rashford says he will learn from ‘amazing’ Zlatan Ibrahimovic… despite being nearly half his age
Manchester United strikers will thrive off each other even if Jose Mourinho limits youngster's playing time
Sponsored by
HAVING the world’s finest players at their disposal is nothing new to Manchester United.
From Best and Charlton to Cantona, Beckham, Ronaldo and Rooney, the Old Trafford catalogue is crammed full of football’s biggest names.
But no new signing has captured the imagination quite like that of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish striker who still commands an £11million-a-year contract while just three months shy of his 35th birthday.
Ibrahimovic has been with the full squad for less than a week following his free from Paris Saint-Germain.
Yet he has already gained the unqualified approval of team-mates who witnessed his stunning bicycle-kick debut goal three minutes into Saturday’s 5-2 win against Galatasaray in Gothenburg.
It is clear even United’s established internationals are in awe of a player who declared his intention to become the ‘God of Manchester’.
Yet no one is likely to benefit more from Ibra’s presence than Marcus Rashford, a striker barely half the Swede’s age.
It would seem Ibrahimovic’s arrival is going to limit Rashford’s first-team opportunities.
But Jose Mourinho has big plans for both strikers and Rashford, who signed a new long-term contract this summer, knows this is a chance of a lifetime for him.
The 18-year-old said: “Zlatan has been amazing. We can learn from him and we all need to take that chance while he’s here.
“It’s a massive help working and training with him day in, day out.
“There are so many things he can teach me and hopefully I can bring some of his qualities into my game.”
Related stories
Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera summed up the mood in the camp when he said: “We have signed one of the best players in the world and a big leader in our dressing room.
“It’s a unique opportunity for me to learn from a legend like Ibra and I hope to take advantage of that this season.
“It was a fantastic start to his United career but I wasn’t really surprised!”
Dutch World Cup defender Daley Blind was equally impressed by the ex-Barcelona and Inter Milan star and said: “He’s a great personality and a great guy as well.
“He’s a hard worker and he’s also up for a joke at times.
“But just playing against Zlatan in a training session is a great experience and I am sure I will become a better player as a result of that.”
Herrera, a £28.8m buy from Athletic Bilbao two years ago, is excited by the prospect of watching the master and his apprentice Rashford together and believes they can complement each other.
He added: “Ibra is more of a target man, while Marcus can use his speed to go into the spaces.
“It’s a very good combination because they have a mixture of qualities and it’s great that the manager has so many different options.”