Marcus Rashford wasn’t included by Allardyce, despite going on as a substitute to score United’s injury-time victor against Hull in the Premier League on Saturday in his first appearance of the season.
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It was Rashford’s first Premier League appearance of the season and Rooney has said that the 18-year-old is a key man despite the youngster’s lack of game time so far.
Manchester United, known as “Red Devils” joined the Londoners on nine points when they sank Hull thanks to a stoppage-time effort by substitute Rashford.
After the Hull contest, Mourinho was making no promises about whether the youngster might he handed a start in the City game, but he has said Rashford will play “a lot” under him.
“I think that’s the big difference…we’ve got players who were starting every game last season on the bench and some players haven’t even travelled”.
“In the two matches when we have needed a victor, against Leicester and today, he has done the job”, Mourinho told journalists.
“Sometimes it’s hard to do that because he’s such a talented player but we need, as players and team-mates, to try to guide him through it and let him focus on the football”.
United manager Mourinho said: “I think, if he goes to the full squad, Sam [Allardyce, the manager] will put him on the bench”.
“I have two weeks before the next match, I have to analyse the opponent and see the way my boys are coming back from the worldwide games”, Mourinho said.
“I like Cameron Borthwick-Jackson very much but he will go to Wolverhampton to play [on loan] because I have Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind to play left-back”. We had an fantastic mentality.
“We deserved it and in a more comfortable way”, Mourinho said.
“I’m just so happy that we could get the three points, not just for us but for the fans”.
Hull caretaker boss Mike Phelan is expecting a frantic few days before the transfer window shuts on Wednesday. “But you have to make these decisions”.
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And after navigating his team through Steve Bruce’s resignation and the failure to add a single player to the squad since promotion last May, Phelan admits that key issues must be resolved during the global break – including his own future. “We can start some matches with a player in front of Zlatan”. Today, they showed that. We must not be happy with less than a win.
