Jose Mourinho tips Marcus Rashford to challenge Wayne Rooney for Man Utd record

JOSE MOURINHO believes that if anyone is going to surpass Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton it will be one of Manchester United’s own …Marcus Rashford.

Rooney equals Bobby Charlton's record with historic goal

The 19-year-old home-grown striker has already demonstrated he has the pace, ability and eye for goal of the two Manchester United legends who now share the club’s goal scoring record of 249.

But just as important is that Rashford has the same hunger and down-to-earth temperament as Rooney and Charlton.

His two goals in this match ended a three-month drought and took his tally to 14 after only 10 months in the first team.

Jose Mourinho said: “The ones who are closest to the record have already left the club so, especially in modern football, it will be really difficult to beat it.

“But Marcus is only 19. If he plays for United until the end of his career maybe he can do it but Rooney and Sir Bobby scored a lot of goals.”

Jose MourinhoGETTY

Jose Mourinho believes if anyone can catch Wayne Rooney's record it could be Rashford

Wayne RooneyGETTY

Wayne Rooney matched Sir Bobby Charlton's record against Reading

Chris Smalling agrees with his manager and denies that talking about Rashford in the same breath as Rooney and Sir Bobby is piling too much of a burden on his young shoulders – because the kid thrives on challenges.

“I think it’s good to put the pressure on him because he can handle it, he has shown that,” said Smalling. “He has gone from one level to the next level and you saw the amount of chances he had against Reading. He ended up with two but could have had more. If he misses one chance he will still get himself in there to take the next one.

“If he can stay injury-free there is no stopping him in terms of what sort of records he could get.

“He is so down to earth and he is surrounded by a lot of his mates at United, so it helps that when it comes to this stage, it’s just another day for him, and I hope he never changes because he is such a great lad.”

Rashford, who has been with United since he was eight, says Rooney has been an inspiration for him.

“How long has he got? I don’t know, it depends on him, especially on his brain, on his desire,” said Mourinho. “I think everything is about desire, that’s more important than anything else, so if he keeps his motivation he can play on.”

The United boss also paid tribute to Rooney for making the task of managing him when his peak powers are on the wane easier. 

He said: “Whether he plays or doesn’t play, he is always positive with the group, a good captain, a good professional, a team player and a humble guy.

“He played against me [in a Champions League game] when I was at Real Madrid. He played almost left-back. I always saw him sacrifice for the team and with me he is the same.”

Jaap Stam wants Reading to learn from their crushing defeat to help their Championship promotion bid. 

“It was a great experience, said Stam. “If you get the chance to play against a side like United, it’s good for the players. I hate losing to anyone but it’s what the players can do with experience.”

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?