Marcus Rashford & Paul Scholes Speak on José Mourinho, Paul Pogba & Injury Struggles
By Tom Gott
Marcus Rashford was the latest guest on The Official Manchester United Podcast, and he took the opportunity to speak about life at Old Trafford in the last few years.
He was joined by club legend Paul Scholes for this latest episode, and the pair opened up on everything from José Mourinho to Rashford's recent injury troubles, and they also had the obligatory conversation about Paul Pogba.
Here are some of the best bits from the podcast.
'Ups & Downs' With José Mourinho
Rashford managed just 28 goals in 125 appearances under Mourinho - a tally which he matched in less than half that number of games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - and Rashford confessed that things weren't always easy under his old boss.
"It was tough but I think in five or six years' time you will look back on it and they are the moments that will give you that mental toughness," he said.
"As an all-round player I think I have improved a lot and a lot of it was down to the two years I had under José. We had our ups and downs, it was a tough period but one that made me a better player."
'Paul Pogba Similar to Steven Gerrard'
Paul Pogba is rarely far from the headlines, recently stealing the show after admitting that he had no idea who arch rival Graeme Souness actually was. Scholes stayed away from that side of things, but admitted that he sees a touch of Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard in Pogba's game.
"I played a bit with Paul and everyone knows the talent he's got," he said. "He's been brilliant for Juventus, brilliant for France in the World Cup and really good at times here [at United] as well.
"He can do everything as a midfield player and you'd probably liken him to Steven Gerrard with the pace, the power, the skill. He can do absolutely everything."
On Playing Together
Rashford and Scholes' playing careers never overlapped, but Rashford admitted that he would have been in his element playing alongside someone with Scholes' creativity.
"It would have been a dream to play with someone like Paul," he revealed. "The biggest thing for me is range of passing.
"Probably the closest thing to that was when Wazza (Wayne Rooney) was playing a bit deeper and it was just so enjoyable to play as a number nine in those games, when he was playing in that position.
"It was similar with Carras (Michael Carrick) as well. As soon as they get the ball, they look forward and want to play forward, not only to feet but in behind a lot of the time. As a forward that’s all you want. As long as someone is seeing the passes and trying to make them, that’s what you thrive on."
Rashford's Injury Update
Rashford picked up a serious back injury in January which was expected to rule him out for the majority of the rest of the season, but the break in football may give him the chance to return and play a more significant role.
"I was probably going to go back with the team mid or end of April but that would have been a push because obviously I didn't want to miss the summer [Euro 2020]," he said.
"I doubt I would have been 100% fit going into that tournament or even finishing off the season but that is what we were aiming for. Obviously since then a lot has happened with this virus, so for my body it's been good to give it its full duration to rest."
On Rashford's Best Position
Scholes admitted that he always felt Rashford was destined to become a star striker, but he confessed that the youngster looks at home out on the wing, and Rashford revealed that he prefers life out wide as well.
"When you are on the left, you can create a lot more things on your own, giving that little bit more to the team," he added. "Whereas when you are playing up front, sometimes you are isolated and need someone in midfield who can find passes for 90 minutes of a game, so you can disappear in games sometimes as a number nine.
"When I transitioned to a number nine when I was younger, that’s the bit that I struggled with as I was always someone who wanted to express myself on the ball.
"When I started playing number nine, I realised that you don’t see the ball as often as you do in other positions."