Solskjaer likens United´s Rashford to PSG star Mbappe

Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer likened Marcus Rashford to Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe as he hailed both players ahead of the looming Champions League tie.

All eyes will be on forwards Rashford and Mbappe when United welcome PSG to Old Trafford for the first leg of their last-16 clash on Tuesday.

Rashford has been in red-hot form since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December, the 21-year-old scoring six goals in 10 appearances in all competitions.

And Solskjaer – contracted until the end of the season – believes Rashford is United’s answer to PSG’s 20-year-old World Cup winner Mbappe.

“Marcus is going to be a top-quality player. I love working with him. I am sure PSG will look at Marcus the way we look at Mbappe – he’s one of the main threats,” Solskjaer said following Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League win at lowly Fulham.

“Mbappe had a fantastic rise to stardom and he’s got a fantastic smile about him. A great enthusiasm. And there will understandably be comparisons.

“I have seen Mbappe live once and Marcus every single day. Strikers don’t really dominate football but the pair of them will have a massive impression on football for the next 10 years. They will really light it up.”

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— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 9, 2019

With Neymar already sidelined through injury and doubts over Edinson Cavani and Marco Verratti, Mbappe will shoulder a lot of PSG’s hopes in Manchester.

Discussing the Champions League showdown, Solskjaer added: “Neymar is very, very good, our fans would love to see him — and the players would love to have played against him.

“One of the things I most remember is playing the best — [Zinedine] Zidane, Ronaldo, [Luis] Figo, [Paolo] Maldini — you look forward to testing yourself against the best.

“That’s how we were and I’m sure these boys would’ve loved to play against him. But we’re playing a team which still has top quality players and we will need to perform at our very best.”