Gareth Southgate urges Manchester United star Marcus Rashford not to be fazed by return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic

• e-mail

England manager Gareth Southgate has urged Marcus Rashford not to be fazed by the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Manchester United and to embrace a wide role under Jose Mourinho.

Rashford ended last season as United’s main frontman and started the Europa League final victory over Ajax as a central striker. However, Mourinho has since signed Romelu Lukaku and brought Ibrahimovic back.

Rashford has started both of United’s Premier League games this season as a left winger and has performed well but failed to score. Privately, the player is known to favour a central role but Southgate has told him not to be fixated over the position.

Marcus Rashford faces extra competition at Manchester United but should not be fazed

Asked whether he is concerned Rashford could be squeezed out of contention at United, the England manager said: ‘His performances at the beginning of the season from the left have been excellent. 

'I was at the game against West Ham and he was fabulous in that game and just needed the finishing touch. He walked off to a standing ovation.

‘Yes, there is talk...is he a 9? But more of his first-team football has been as an 11 and as a young player nailing down a definitive position is less important than being selected in the team and Jose clearly trusts him to play. 

'He is a really exciting player and he is only going to get stronger. Whether he is a 7, 11, 10 or 9 is less important. The opportunity to play in big matches like he did last year in the Europa League final is more important at this stage.’

Gareth Southgate insists Marcus Rashford is too young to have a concrete position up front 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return to Manchester United was confirmed on Thursday afternoon

Meanwhile, Southgate has also admitted that Ross Barkley’s career is in danger of stalling at both club and international level.

Barkley has not played for England since May 2016 and is out for three months after suffering a hamstring injury in training at Everton. Barkley’s club career is also in doubt with the player keen to leave Everton. 

Tottenham and Chelsea remain interested but a deal is still to be done with a week of the transfer window remaining. Ahead of a World Cup next summer, Southgate now will not get the chance to see him up close until the spring.

Southgate added: ‘We picked him in March and obviously he didn’t get on. For us, that was the first time we’d worked with him. Then he was injured at the end of the season and he’s got this long-term injury now. 

'It doesn’t sound as if we will see him before March in an international sense. So really, everything is on hold, isn’t it? Both the club situation and international.’ 

Southgate believes Ross Barkley’s career is in danger of stalling at both club and country