SPORTS

Marcus Rashford set to be handed first Manchester United start of the season against Feyenoord 

Marcus Rashford is set to be handed his first start of the season for Manchester United in Thursday’s Europa League tie away to Feyenoord.

The teenage sensation has been used sparingly off the bench so far by new manager Jose Mourinho, but followed up his late winner at Hull last month with an impressive performance as a second-half substitute in the Manchester derby.

Rashford, 18, was overlooked for a place in the starting line-up at Old Trafford despite scoring a hat-trick on his debut for England Under-21s during the international break, but Mourinho said: ‘For me, the next big game is against Feyenoord and the next game he is going to play.

I trust him completely. I know his future will be absolutely brilliant.

‘Normally, people look to the football talent but the personality at this level is very, very important and he was showing that immediately.’

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, United’s scorer in the derby, believes the youngster has the world at his feet if he just given time to realise his potential.

‘First of all, he’s 18, he’s still young,’ said Ibrahimovic. ‘He 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.

‘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.’