Rashford dismisses injury talk before Milan match
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has brushed off talk of an injury and potential burnout, telling journalists: “I know my body and I know what I can do physically”.
Rashford is desperate to be involved at the San Siro after missing the preceding first leg at Old Trafford with a slight issue. That 1-1 draw is the only match that Marcus has not featured in this season, either as a starter or substitute.
The subject of his fitness became a theme during a spell answering questions from reporters on Wednesday afternoon, and Marcus rejected any notion that he's harming himself by playing with a little discomfort.
“I just focus on the next game at hand and that's how I deal with it," he said, when asked about his shoulder issues.
"What's needed after we'll deal with that after, but my main focus is just to be available for the games.”
“I know my body and I know what I can do physically and that's it. I take one game at a time and it's the life of footballer.
"We can rest when we retire and for now I want to play as much as I can. I recover from games quite well and from injuries I have no doubts, so I have no worries.”
“It's a massive game for us and I'm feeling positive and optimistic," our no.10 continued.
"In the first performance we showed that we can do well in tough positions, but now, going to the San Siro, we're looking for a dominant display and ultimately score goals.”
Marcus, who has already won the Europa League with United in 2017, spelled out just what it would mean to win the trophy for a second time.
"That's the aim when we unfortunately got kicked out of the Champions League, the focus was to win the Europa League," he said.
"Anything less than that and I know the team, manager, staff aren't going to be happy with that. We're going to do our best to win this competition.”
90 in 20: United 1 AC Milan 1
In case you missed it, or want a closer look, these extended highlights tell the story of an engrossing first leg...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was also part of that 2017 squad, and Rashford was asked about what impact the Swede had on his career, and whether he seems any similarities with the AC Milan striker and Bruno Fernandes.
“Yeah you could say so," the Academy graduate responded. "Mentally, they are both so strong and they want to win games.
"That's the atmosphere and the culture at this club, so we need to start doing it now; we need to start winning trophies and take steps in that direction. The game tomorrow is an opportunity for us to take one step forward.."