Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has praised the progress of teammate Marcus Rashford during the course of the current season. The England international had found himself in-and-out of the first XI under ex-boss Jose Mourinho but the same has not been the case with caretaker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has featured him regularly from the starting lineup.

As such, he has found form with five goals and an assist in the past seven matches and this has impressed Mata, who has urged the youngster to keep up with the good work. “To win seven games from a possible seven is not a simple task in any way, so we are proud and happy with how things have gone in recent weeks. But we want more,” he wrote on his official website.

“Marcus is a truly special player. He already is, and is going to continue to be, a very important player for club and country and it is a pleasure to see his progression up close. He’s also a great lad, with his mind focused on the important things and extraordinary physical attributes. He has everything to keep on growing without slowing down, and he deserves to.”

United had been 11 points behind the top-four positions when Mourinho was axed from the head coach role but they have since made amends under Ole, who has offered the players with the additional freedom to express themselves. Owing to this, the likes of Rashford among others including Paul Pogba have significantly improved on their performances and this has partly contributed to the seven-match winning run across all competitions.

The Red Devils switch their attention to FA Cup duty for the forthcoming game where they are scheduled to face Arsenal on the road. The Gunners come into the match after a resounding 2-0 win over Chelsea in the London derby. Alexandre Lacazette and Laurent Koscielny found the scoresheet during the game.