YOU can lambaste Jose Mourinho for his – at times – pragmatic approach to football or if you disagree with how he deals with the press but one thing you cannot question is his approach to Marcus Rashford.
His wonderful brace against Liverpool might have surprised non-Manchester United fans given it was his first start in the Premier League in 2018 but it didn’t surprise the Old Trafford faithful.
We’ve seen him score on his Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup debut – he’s just such a natural talent.
And a crucial aspect of Rashford’s immediate impact came from the fact Mourinho took him out of the spotlight for some time.
Those weeks out of the team saw pundits and journalists alike question whether Rashford had a future at United, whether he needed a loan spell away from the club.
What a ridiculous concept, especially when the slightest bit of homework would have made them realise just how important Rashford is to Mourinho and United.
No player has featured more times for United in Mourinho’s time as manager than Rashford. Not even David De Gea.
Yet, some labelled him as a fringe player simply because Alexis Sanchez’s arrival gave Mourinho the opportunity to rest a 20-year-old who had played almost every game for United.
JOSE’S RASH PROMISE Jose Mourinho defends his treatment of Marcus Rashford following criticism from Frank de Boer
It was nonsense.
Rashford desperately needed a rest prior to Sanchez’s arrival.
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You could see he wasn’t right – everything which was easy for him previously became a difficulty and Rashford’s natural game had vanished as a consequence of not having a rest.
A couple of months out of the spotlight and Rashford came back in to score a brace against our biggest rivals Liverpool, vindicating Mourinho’s decision to allow Marcus to recover on the sidelines.
Rashford has no point to prove.
He’s scored against Arsenal, he’s scored away at Man City, at home against Liverpool, in the Europa League semi-final, in plenty of other big occasions for United.
At 20, he’s accomplished far more than he should have at this stage in his career and Mourinho has handled his development superbly, despite what some might suggest.
United are on the up at the moment after nine points from tough games against Chelsea, Liverpool and away at Crystal Palace.
We’re starting to play more like a team and Rashford stepping up in Anthony Martial’s absence is testament to that.
With two comebacks after going behind and a brilliant attacking display in the first 45 minutes against Liverpool, Mourinho really has got United playing the way we should.
Next up is Sevilla in the Champions League, arguably United’s biggest game of the season, and fans are confident Jose can guide us to our first Champions League quarter-final in four years.
Some might suggest Mourinho is past it but with two trophies in his first year and currently sitting five points ahead of third-placed Liverpool in the Premier League, things are on the up at United.
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