Marcus Rashford: I have to look at the positives of “frustrating” Man Utd role

England forward Marcus Rashford believes his irregular role at Manchester United has not hindered his progress, though he concedes not starting every match can be frustrating.

Rashford, 20, shot to prominence under Louis van Gaal after netting a brace against Midtjylland in the 2015/16 Europa League, and went on to cement a starting berth at Old Trafford, though since the appointment of Jose Mourinho, the talented tyro has taken a backseat for more recognisable global stars.

Despite only starting 17 league matches last season, England manager Gareth Southgate selected the highly-rated youngster for his World Cup squad, though once more his position in the starting XI has been called into question.

Rashford has acknowledged that competition is intense with both the Red Devils and the Three Lions, but he admits that his development has not been jeopardised as a result.

“Every player will tell you it’s always frustrating when you don’t start. You have to look at the positives – you get two extra days’ training,” he told reporters (via Goal).

“It’s not stopped me developing. If it had stopped me developing then it’s more of a problem.

“He [Mourinho] has 20-25 players. Everyone has different attributes and suits different styles so finding the right balance is a tough job for a manager.

“He got it right most of the time last season but we need a bit extra to push for the title.”

The Manchester-born striker has often been shifted out wide to accommodate Romelu Lukaku under the auspices of Mourinho, though he still managed to score a career-best 13 goals across all competitions last term.

And while Rashford featured in 53 matches for his boyhood club last season, he would quickly point to the fact that he only start in 26 of those matches.

Rashford further started for England in their 1-0 loss to Belgium on the final match of Group G, firing a blank in the process.

And despite starting their last-16 match against Colombia as a substitute, Rashford came off the bench to score in the penalty shootout as the Three Lions went through to the quarter-finals.

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