Marcus Rashford: Man Utd striker can be Premier League's best with Harry Kane out - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Last updated on .From the section Man Utd
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford has the chance to be the best striker in the Premier League with Tottenham's Harry Kane out injured, says interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Rashford scored for the fourth straight league game in a 2-1 win over Brighton, which was his 150th United appearance.
"You can argue for many strikers but I'm glad he is in my team," said Solskjaer of the 21-year-old.
"No-one beats him on work-rate. No-one beats him on attitude."
The goal in Saturday's victory at Old Trafford was the England forward's fifth in six matches under Solskjaer, who has won all seven of his games in charge since replacing the sacked Jose Mourinho in December.
Kane, his captain at international level, is out until early March with an ankle injury.
The Spurs striker has 14 Premier League goals this season, which is the same as Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and two fewer than Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.
Rashford has netted eight times in the league so far this term.
He has scored 41 goals in 150 United games, more than any other player for the club since his debut in February 2016.
"Kane is injured so maybe that gives him [Rashford] a better chance to be the best one at the moment," said Solskjaer.
"At the moment he is very confident in front of goal. He finishes. He tries to shoot. He doesn't think twice about it.
"He is so calm and assured when he is finishing. That was the first thing I said to him when I met him. He had missed some chances and I said: 'No problem. You'll be all right, just settle down a little bit.'"
| Rashford - before & after Solskjaer's appointment 2018-19 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| PL games before | PL goals before | PL games after | PL goals after |
| 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
'I wouldn't do Pogba penalty run-up'
The club have seven straight victories under Solskjaer, who is the first United manager to win his first six league games in charge.
They face Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday - which is live on BBC One, kick-off 19:55 GMT - before returning to league action against Burnley on 29 January.
United are now three points off the top four, having been 11 behind when Solskjaer, who spent 11 seasons at Old Trafford as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson, returned to the club.
The 45-year-old former Norway striker said: "The gaffer [Ferguson] used to challenge us at times and say, 'why can't you win 10 games on the bounce?'
"As long as you take one game at a time and prepare well we should go into any game [thinking it is] a winnable one.
"If this momentum keeps going and the train keeps rolling we will get loads of points on the board, and hopefully it will take us up the table."
Solskjaer also said he feels less pressure at Old Trafford compared to his time at Cardiff, when he was sacked after eight months in charge in 2014.
"There is loads more pressure at the bottom, where I was with Cardiff," he added. "Whenever you win games of football, you enjoy it. It doesn't add pressure. The pressure is - for a club like this - that we want to win every single game we play."
Paul Pogba scored the first goal in Saturday's victory, winning and converting a penalty in the 27th minute, before Rashford doubled the lead in the first half.
The France midfielder, who has now scored eight league goals this season, did a shortened version of his stuttering run-up before slotting his spot-kick past David Button.
Solskjaer said: "I wouldn't do it but if he is comfortable with it...
"As long as he scores, the way he strikes the ball is good enough."
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You want to be as good as these kind of players, you have to take the pressure in your stride.
Here's hoping he has what it takes.
The first three are world class and Aubameyang's close too so that's a tough level to reach but his form since the start of December has been excellent and he's certainly performing as one of the best young strikers in the world right now and outperforming Jesus.
Fast, mobile & skill full......... I’ve always thought the lad was quality.
Having said that, he is still a very young lad and 150 Man Utd caps is a real achievement.
But I do feel there is more potential to be unlocked before he can be considered one of the best.
Just hope he has an off day next Friday, sure Martial will partner him. At least they will come to play and not park the bus now you know who is no longer there.
Please explain why you and so many of your scouse chums comment more on United HYS than your scouse HYS?