MARCUS RASHFORD has told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to forget about giving him a rest.
It must be tempting for the Manchester United boss to leave his top scorer out of the side for tonight’s visit of Wolves, with a trip to Liverpool looming on Sunday.
Rashford has played more club games since his debut than any other star
Marcus Rashford has been in superb form this season
Rashford, 22, went off after an hour of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Norwich but the in-form striker said it was just a precaution and there were no issues.
And he insists the demands of a full season are not a problem for him now he has 200 United games in the bank.
Rashford said: “I think physically and mentally you become so robust. You get used to playing 40-50 games in a season.
“It was probably something that when I was 18 and first came into the team wasn’t physically possible for me.
“The amount of games is not really a big thing for me personally, just as long as I’m in the right frame of mind.”
Still, Solskjaer remains cautious about burnout with Rashford, while admitting it is very difficult to leave him out of the team.
The Norwegian said: “He is a young boy who I don’t want to use too much, for his own benefit, as you don’t want to burn him out.
“But he’s so energetic and professional and he’s raring to go again.”
Solskjaer’s first priority when he took over at United in December 2018 was to improve the fitness level of the players, so they could cope with the high-energy game he wanted to play.
It wore them out towards the end of last season and results took an alarming dip.
No such problems now after a full pre-season under Solskjaer although Rashford admits that it still feels tougher than any other season he has experienced so far.
The England hitman said: “This season feels harder than other seasons at this stage.
“But, for us, we see the fixture list and just try to make sure we’re in the best physical and mental state leading up to each game.”
Rashford’s 200th game on Saturday saw him add another two goals to his tally for the season, taking him to 19.
He is in the form of his young life but admits he cannot believe how quickly things have gone since his surprise debut as an 18-year-old under Louis van Gaal.
Anthony Martial was injured in the warm-up for a Europa League game against FC Midtjylland in February 2016 and, with few options, Van Gaal turned straight to Rashford.
When I first came into the team, I was not even thinking about a 200th game.
Marcus Rashford on his milestone moment
With 15 minutes notice, he went on to score twice in a 5-1 victory and followed that up three days later with another two plus an assist in a 3-2 win over Arsenal.
From obscurity his name was suddenly in lights. Rash said: “It’s gone very fast and I remember the first one like it was yesterday.
“But these are the moments you want to grow into. When I first came into the team, I was not even thinking about a 200th game.
“I’ve played a lot of football and it’s just a credit to the club for giving me so many opportunities to play that many games.
“You have to enjoy each moment as it happens because, before you know it, there is something else that betters the previous one.
“I think I’ve probably said in a few interviews that it’s tough to get into the first team but the biggest challenge is how long you can stay there.
“So as long as I just keep doing my best and helping the team, and keep improving, that is what matters to me.”
With five games in three competitions before the winter break begins at the start of February, Rashford says United are desperate to go into it on a high — starting with this evening’s FA Cup third-round replay with Wolves.
He said: “It’s full throttle into that short break. As long as we keep winning games… we don’t even have to play our best football all the time.
“But if you get the three points or get through, it becomes a habit — and the more we do that, the better we’ll become.”
Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has little to say on future transfers but praises young talent Mason Greenwood
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
