The secret diaries of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must be a treasure trove of do’s and don’ts for strikers, and it was tempting to wonder which particular nuggets from their pages the interim Manchester United manager was sharing with Marcus Rashford in training on Friday.

Rashford tweeted a picture of himself listening attentively to Solskjaer during a quiet moment together and it was fitting he should accompany the post with an emoji of a headmaster’s hat. Stood obediently, hands clasped as Solskjaer spoke, the England forward looked every inch the engrossed pupil hanging off a mentor’s every word.

Listening to Solskjaer explain, with great relish, only a few hours earlier how he intends to grow Rashford’s confidence and, in turn, sharpen his goalscoring instincts, it is hard to believe the 21-year-old could have asked for a better teacher at this delicate stage of his career.

From a young age growing up in Norway, Solskjaer kept comprehensive notes about his highs and lows in front of goal and then later started compiling a detailed diary from his meetings with Bill Beswick, the sports psychologist Sir Alex Ferguson used to employ at United.

In 11 years at United, the man they called the “Baby Faced Assassin” owing to his boyish looks but predatory ruthlessness, scored 126 goals in 366 games, including the finish that won the club the European Cup in 1999. His first foray into coaching after retirement was as the first-team striker coach to, among others, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, in 2007-08 – the season they won a Premier League and Champions League double. Rashford – who has just five goals this season – is learning from someone with a bible of information, pointers and personal experiences to draw from and Solskjaer has already identified the youngster’s tendency to snatch at chances as one area ripe for refinement.