Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford believes the “tough period” he endured under Jose Mourinho’s reign at Old Trafford has made him a better overall player.
England international Rashford played under Mourinho from the beginning of the 2016-17 season until the Portuguese manager was sacked in December 2018.
Rashford won the EFL Cup and Europa League during that time period but often found his form under scrutiny by pundits, while he was largely employed on the wing with either Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Romelu Lukaku playing through the centre.
Under current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Rashford has flourished and he has scored 19 goals in all competitions this campaign which is also his career-best. Unfortunately, the combination of a back injury and the suspension of the Premier League due to the coronavirus crisis curtailed his progress.
Despite not always playing at the best of his ability during Mourinho’s tenure, Rashford is convinced it is a time that will stand him in good stead because it made him a better overall player.
While speaking to the UTD podcast, the 22-year-old revealed that it was tough under the 57-year-old Mourinho but that period made him mentally stronger and a better all-round player, “It was tough but I think when you look back on it in five or six years, they’re the moments that give you that mental toughness, As an all-round player I’ve improved a lot and a lot of it is down to those two years under Jose. We had ups and downs. When I look back at it, it was a tough period but definitely a period that made me a better player.”
Manchester United are currently in fifth place on the Premier League table, only three points behind Chelsea in fourth place. The Red Devils would be hoping to secure a top-four finish in order to play in the Champions League next season.
