Mourinho: "Football Needs Kids"

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed it is refreshing to have Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard in his team because of the youthful exuberance they bring to the dressing room, as well as their undoubted quality on the pitch.

The attacking duo both came through the ranks at United, and have gone on to become important parts of the first-team squad.

Rashford has already netted three goals in his six appearances across all competitions this term, the latest coming in the Reds’ 3-0 UEFA Champions League win over FC Basel on Tuesday night, while Lingard has provided one assist and looked sharp.

Yet, despite their prominence, the boss admitted he still sees the young pair as “kids”, and that he believes they are the kind of characters football needs.

“When I look at Marcus and Jesse, it’s like they’re still 15,” Mourinho told reporters. “The way they live, the way they train – it’s simple for them – they enjoy playing the game.

“I see them as kids, and football needs kids sometimes, simple kids just enjoying the game.”

When asked if he felt it was unusual how comfortable Rashford is in a red shirt, despite being just 19 years old, Mourinho declared when a player loves the game, everything else comes as second nature.

“[Rashford] loves football, he loves to train, and he loves to play games,” the manager said. “When you love to play; you love full stadiums, you love big matches, you love responsibility.

“It looks to me as if everything around him is very normal,” he added. “It looks like everything is simple – his entourage doesn’t seem to be an entourage of a complex dimension like you see in some players nowadays.”