It’s a crowded, but very talented attack for Manchester United this season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the now, with Marcus Rashford the future. Of course, the future is now as Rashford looks like he has the potential to really break out and assume the position.
His time will come, and he has a couple of special, wonderful unique opportunities at his disposal. First he’s got a great mentor in Ibrahimovic. He’s also got a second great mentor in Wayne Rooney, who although he no longer plays the position, was among the elite in doing do for many many years.
Then you have another talented young attacker in Anthony Martial to be there to grow and develop alongside Marcus Rashford.
Above all that, he’s got time on his side. Not only age wise, but within his situation at the club. There is no pressure on him to be the main weapon right away. He can grow into the role without having to worry about being the alpha immediately.
“First of all, he’s 18, he’s still young. He has a lot of time,” Ibrahimovic told MUTV.
“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.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is willing and excited about the idea of helping to tutor and mentor Marcus Rashford, as he said:
“I’ll help him every day, him and all the others, in any way I can. I’m happy it gives an effect but, even if I was not here, they would still do good.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.