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How Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Wants To Play A Part In Marcus Rashford's Development

How Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Wants To Play A Part In Marcus Rashford's Development

It's very different to Jose Mourinho's thoughts...

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

If you go back to December 7th, when discussing the lack of goals from Marcus Rashford, former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho stated that you can't work on your finishing - it is something you are born with it.

"It's not about work. it's about natural qualities." Mourinho said, but weeks after his sacking, new caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a very different opinion on the matter.

And since his appointment earlier this month, Solskjaer has managed to get the best out of Marcus Rashford.

The 21-year-old has scored three goals in December, as well as providing his teammates with an impressive tally of five assists, and you can see the confidence running through his veins at present.

It could play out that Solskjaer plays a vital role in Rashford's development as a forward and it sounds like he is the perfect man to guide him to further success in front of goal.

"I wasn't born with it," he said when talking about his finishing, via The Telegraph.

"I studied finishing, I studied goals, I studied movement. I worked on my mentality because that's key. You will always miss chances, but you can't do anything about them once they've gone. It's about the next chance.

"Apart from the ball, when you're a striker it is space that's your best friend. It's about scoring loads of goals during training sessions.

"If you haven't scored enough during the session then finish the day off by doing lots of finishing - and finishing is different to shooting.

"If you work at it in training sessions then you will just do it naturally during the game. The one way of getting better is by practising - on and off the pitch."

Solskjaer went on to speak about Rashford's ability in front of goal, giving him the confidence to go out and produce the goods, something that he may have lacked in previous months.

"Marcus has far more than I did in terms of his physical attributes, pace, strength and striking the ball from outside the box, but maybe I can give him a little bit of the nous I had inside the box," Solskjaer said.

"I'm talking about the little moves you make to get free, that little bit of calmness in front of goal. Marcus is 21. He's still learning. The most important thing I can see is to just settle him down in front of goal. I've seen him rush a few finishes. He thinks, 'I've got to get a shot off early' when sometimes you just pass it past the keeper. I always say the goal never moves.

"My first job here after I finished playing was as a forwards' coach, so I worked with Cristiano, Wayne, Danny Welbeck, Tevez. That was a good start for me.

"I will pass that knowledge on. I want to get into their heads. I want to learn what the players are thinking. The only thing they can control is what's going on in their heads and how to approach different situations mentally."

Wise words from the former Manchester United striker, who himself bagged 126 goals during his iconic stint at Old Trafford.

Take note.

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Topics: Football News, Solskjaer, Football, Manchester United, Ole Gunnar, Premier League, Marcus Rashford, Old Trafford