Marcus Rashford has lavished praise on his former Manchester United team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, admitting he learned a lot from his 'relentless' attitude.
Rashford looks set to line up against his former Old Trafford colleague when United face AC Milan in their Europa League last 16 second leg tonight, with the Swede returning from a thigh injury to lead the line for the Italians.
Although it will be business as usual on the pitch, Rashford was keen to thank the 39-year-old Ibrahimovic for his help while the pair played together at United.
Speaking to BT ahead of Thursday night's game, he said: 'It was a good period for me as a young player to play with someone of his stature and calibre, someone who has won so many trophies and has so much quality on the pitch.
'It was a special period for me and I learnt many things from him and I'd say the biggest thing was preparing for each game mentally.
'He was always ready to play the next game, no matter if it was a good or bad result he was prepared and it showed me the mentality you need to have for a long career at the top. It'll be good and exciting if I do get to play against him.'
When queried on his personal relationship with Ibrahimovic, Rashford added: 'We did a lot together, we did a lot of work together as forwards and sometimes he would be able to tell me little things.
'On the pitch we're quite different players but the biggest thing I could take from him was his mentality, the way he gets ready and prepares is relentless and that's what you need to do to be at the top for 15 years or more.'
In a stellar playing career, Ibrahimovic has cemented his place among the greatest strikers in the history of the modern game, winning 13 league titles across Holland, Italy, Spain and France.
While at United, he won the Europa League, Community Shield and League Cup, and will be hoping to add another of the former back at AC Milan.
The Europa League tie between United and AC Milan hangs in the balance going into Thursday night's match, with the two sides level at 1-1 after the first leg.
The Italians have a slight advantage in that they secured an away goal in the first leg at Old Trafford, netting in the 92nd minute through Simon Kjaer after Amad Diallo's brilliant backwards header had put the English side ahead.
Now, going into the return leg, Rashford is keen to use United's amazing comeback victory over PSG in the 2018-19 Champions League as motivation to achieve a similar feat.
'I think we have to go into the game confident, believe in our individual abilities and the ability of the team,' the Englishman added.
'We've showed on many occasions that we can come through difficult tasks and games and this is just another one of them. We'll find a way to get through it and win the game.'
BT Sport is the only place to watch the UEFA Europe League exclusively live, including AC Milan v Manchester United live on BT Sport 2 from 7.15pm tonight. For more info go to bt.com/sport
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