Marcus Rashford says Manchester United youngsters 'have to try and learn' from Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Marcus Rashford has paid tribute to Manchester United teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic and believes he and his fellow youngsters 'have to try to learn' from the Swede. Ibrahimovic scored his 19th goal of the season against Liverpool on Sunday (15 January) and is currently making light work of the rigours of English football.

Rashford, who has not scored in the Premier League since September, thinks his 35-year-old colleague is an 'invaluable' asset and brings something unique to the mix at Old Trafford.

"For the young players to see his character and the way he approaches every game is invaluable," Rashford said at a Nike event, streamed by Sky Sports. "Some players can't bring that when they move clubs. We have to try to learn from him while he is here and take what we can from his game."

Given the form of Ibrahimovic, Rashford has had to make do with a handful of substitute appearances in recent weeks. The England prodigy has regularly had compatriot and club legend Wayne Rooney for company on the United bench and said that he and the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker are the best players he has run alongside during his short but burgeoning senior career.

"Zlatan and Rooney are the two that stand out," Rashford added. "I grew up watching Rooney play week in, week out at Old Trafford, so those are the two that you look at and try to emulate."

The 19-year-old did not feature at all during his side's 1-1 draw with bitter rivals Liverpool and will hope to see some action when United travel to face Stoke City on Saturday. The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last 16 games but were thoroughly outclassed by the Potters during their last visit to The Bet 365 Stadium, losing 2-0 courtesy of Bojan Krkic and Marko Arnautovic strikes in December 2015.