Zlatan: No need to rush Rashford at Manchester United

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has preached patience over the rise of Marcus Rashford at Manchester United after admitting the hype could have a negative effect on the 18-year-old.

There were some fears that Ibrahimovic’s arrival at Old Trafford would stunt the growth of Rashford, who burst onto the scene by scoring a double on first-team debut against FC Midtjylland last season.

But he backed up his last-minute winner against Hull and a subsequent hat-trick for the England Under-21s with a substitute performance in the Manchester derby that, according to Jose Mourinho, proved that he deserves to start.

Ibrahimovic is unlikely to be dropped in his place – he scored his fifth in five competitive games during the Manchester City defeat – and the Swede believes Rashford should be in no rush to become the main man.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

“First of all, he’s 18, he’s still young. He has a lot of time,” he said.

“I think the way you have to approach a player like that, where everyone is talking about the talent and what he’s able to do and what kind of potential he has, is to remember he still has a lot of time.

“It’s not like he needs to take over the world today, the club knows that, the coach knows that and the team knows that.

“We know his quality and what he’s able to do. What the world is seeing now, we already know because we see it every day.

“There is no need to rush to push him and put him in the heat zone and put a lot of pressure on him because that can have the opposite effect. Time by time, he will take over everything. It’s about having patience.”