Harry Maguire believes Marcus Rashford can offer Manchester United even more after the forward made his first start at Old Trafford in 626 days during the 5-2 win over Ipswich Town.
Rashford had made no secret of his desire to stay at Barcelona, but when the Spanish club did not want him, the 28-year-old was left with little choice but to knuckle down for United. Judging by the evidence of the victory against Gary O'Neil's side, his team-mates have given him a warm welcome back.
Maguire backs Rashford to improve
Maguire, who has experienced tough times at the club himself, declared after the match: "He's a great talent. You've seen that he's always a threat. I think he was a threat constantly (against Ipswich), and I think he could still do a lot more and I think he'll say that he can do more. I think if we keep him fit, we keep him happy, he keeps driven, keeps hungry, I think he is a great asset to have."
The long-serving defender also urged people not to understate Rashford's contribution to the club down the years, saying: "You've got to remember that Marcus has had a wonderful career for this club. When you play at this club for numerous years, there are going to be bad seasons, and when the bad seasons come, everyone piles on you."
Rough ride at Old Trafford
Maguire added: "Marcus was here for I don't know how many years, and every season wasn't going to be perfect because as a team and as a club, we haven't been perfect from top to bottom. So, Marcus has been part of a rough ride for Manchester United, and when that happens and the team doesn't deliver, players get digged out and he was one of them at that stage.
"I've been through it. Everyone's been through it at this club. He's come back in, he's trained over the summer, you can tell, and he's come back really fit and sharp, and we're excited to have him and hopefully he can chip in goals."
Mainoo earns praise
While Rashford had a decent return to the starting line-up, Bruno Fernandes stole the headlines with his hat-trick. However, Kobbie Mainoo was not far behind his skipper in many man-of-the-match polls.
Maguire said of Mainoo: "I thought Kobbie was brilliant. I think his work without the ball has improved so much since Michael [Carrick] has been in. That's probably credit to Michael and his staff. But I think without the ball now, he's becoming a real monster, and I think he wins a lot of second balls. He wins a lot of duels.
"You won't want to play against him in there and that's the biggest compliment I can give to him from playing and watching him. I think he's really level-headed, he's really composed, he has great belief in his ability, and he's going to be a magnificent player for this club for many, many years."
