Jose Mourinho singled out Marcus Rashford for special praise after the teenage striker helped to fire Manchester United to a 2-1 win over Anderlecht on Thursday night.
The 19-year-old forward was in sublime form once again as he helped Mourinho’s men beat the Belgian side after extra-time and secure their place in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Rashford was involved in the build-up to Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s 10th-minute opener at Old Trafford, before Sofiane Hanni’s equaliser ended up forcing extra-time in the quarter-final tie.
And it was the England striker who settled it in the end, when he scored a superb solo goal in the second half of extra time to book Manchester United’s place in the last four.
Rashford earned plenty of praise for his sparkling display in the 2-0 win over Chelsea last weekend and was again in top form on Thursday night.
And Manchester United boss Mourinho has revealed his delight with how Rashford is adapting to his management this season.
“OK, you speak about his qualities, his quality is fantastic,” Mourinho told his post-match news conference at Old Trafford.
“But he was not scoring a goal since September and because of his mentality, because of what he gives us, even if he isn’t scoring goals I kept relying on him.
“Some other players don’t realise what makes me trust a player and Marcus I trust. It doesn’t matter, score or doesn’t score, he is fantastic in his effort and attitude.”
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Manchester United take on Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon as they look to keep their top-four bid on track.