Mourinho hails goal hero Rashford’s maturity

Jose Mourinho hailed the quality and maturity of Marcus Rashford after the teenager handed Manchester United the upper hand in their Europa League semi-final tie with Celta Vigo.

Rashford’s fine free-kick secured a 1-0 first-leg win at Celta and the away goal could prove crucial ahead of next week’s return fixture at Old Trafford, where the Spanish side now face an uphill battle.

“He’s a 19-year-old kid in love with football,” United boss Mourinho told BT Sport.

“A kid that finishes a training session, who stays half an hour more to take freekicks. He waits for the opportunity so it’s his mentality. He works, he works, he works.

“He’s very mature and let’s forget the age because it’s not the age, it’s the quality.”

Rashford made way for Anthony Martial with 10 minutes of the tie remaining, but Mourinho played down any fitness concerns.

“He started the game already with a little problem and obviously with the running he was feeling it and Martial was fresh,” the Portuguese added.

Manchester United, England’s last European representatives, have travelled far and wide in their bid to win the only major continental trophy to have eluded them in their success-laden history.

And Mourinho thinks they can progress to the May 24 final at the Friends Arena in Stockholm.

“I’m very pleased with the performance, not so pleased with the result,” he said.

“At half-time it should be, I don’t want to say three but two (goals) and the result is open and I think we played enough to have the result closed.

“I think we played really well. It was a good performance.

“That match at Old Trafford, let’s hope that Old Trafford wants us to win because when Old Trafford wants, we win. So let’s hope they want.”

Should Mourinho’s side reach the final, they will face either Ajax or Lyon in the showpiece clash.