Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford says he endured a “tough period” under former manager Jose Mourinho, but insists it made him a “better player”.
Mourinho was in charge of United from the summer of 2016 until December 2018, winning the Europa League and the League Cup in his first season at Old Trafford.
Rashford registered 28 goals and 20 assists under Mourinho but struggled to find his best form consistently, often being deployed out wide while Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Romelu Lukaku played through the middle.
The 22-year-old has since flourished under current boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – scoring a career-best 19 goals in all competitions this season – but says he owes a lot to his former boss.
“It was tough but I think when you look back on it in five or six years, they’re the moments that give you that mental toughness,” Rashford told the UTD Podcast.
“As an all-round player I’ve improved a lot and a lot of it is down to those two years under Jose.
“We had ups and downs. When I look back at it, it was a tough period but definitely a period that made me a better player.”