B/R

Marcus Rashford did not feature in Jose Mourinho's first Premier League outing in charge of Manchester United. However, it would likely be a mistake to read too much into his exclusion.

The arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic always meant the Red Devils would be less reliant on the 18-year-old than they had to be at the back end of 2015/16.

It is tempting to be disappointed that Rashford has moved down the pecking order thanks to this summer's transfer activity. However, the truth is that it will probably serve the youngster well not to have to carry United in the way he often did in the latter stages of last season.

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After all, given his age, he is still physically developing, and the impact of leading the line for United could be serious. Being able to play fairly regular first-team football without being the main man seems just about perfect.

Addressing the subject of squad rotation, Mourinho told MUTV (h/t the club's website):

It’s the first time I’ve worked with such a number of players because I’m used to working with 20 plus the keepers, and we have in the squad 23 plus the keepers—and even so we had to make decisions and let some players go on loan, and try to sell others. But this group of 23 is a great group and I think in this moment—and I told them this—there is a little bit of frustration for the ones that I have not selected. They work hard to be in the match and they aren’t, and this is going to happen in the next two or three weeks because we have just one Premier League match. But, in September, the League Cup starts, the Europa League starts, we start playing three matches a week and then everybody is involved and the squad is good. The empathy between the guys is really good too, so I’m happy with the squad.

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Rashford is one of those players who will get his chance when September rolls around. In the Community Shield, he replaced Anthony Martial on the left wing, an interesting wrinkle in Mourinho's management of the English youngster.

It had previously seemed likely Rashford would act as a backup for Ibrahimovic or possibly slot in on the right wing, as he did a couple of times under Louis van Gaal. When he did get some minutes on the left at Wembley, he looked his usual self—entirely unflustered by the circumstances and full of confidence in his own ability.

Against Bournemouth, it was Memphis Depay who got a run out as Martial's replacement, emphasising the rotational challenge facing Mourinho. Memphis had not even been on the bench at Wembley, but here he was getting competitive minutes.

There are obviously a lot of players competing for attacking spots—Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney kept Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the bench in the win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, for example.

Thus the first key question about Rashford's expectations for the season is the simple matter of how many games he will play.

Of course, this will depend a great deal on injuries to other players, but with Ibrahimovic having played 90 minutes in the Community Shield and the Premier League opener, it does not seem as if the automatic rotation that might have been expected will happen.

Perhaps this is simply a testament to Ibrahimovic's early-season fitness levels as compared to others, but for now Mourinho is not protecting his ageing superstar by bringing him off early. Given he has scored in the 83rd and 64th minute of his first two games, respectively, it is clearly working.

For Rashford, then, five-to-eight Premier League starts and regular run-outs from the bench would be a decent return. He can be kept happy by being assured that Ibrahimovic's time at United will be relatively brief and that he is being prepared for a role as the Swedish striker's natural successor.

In an interview with Geoff Shreeves of Sky Sports, Ibrahimovic said of the youngster: "I get to see him live every day now, and he is the future of England. He just needs to keep working hard, keep focusing and everything will come by itself." It was lofty praise from a man who has been at the top of the game for so long.

That kind of charm offensive from Ibrahimovic may not be part of a conscious plan to talk up Rashford, but it is the perfect tonic for the time on the bench that will no doubt lead to some frustration for the youngster this season.

When he does play, it will be important that ring rust is not too much of a factor. So far, this does not seem to be something which afflicts Rashford. The most notable example of his impact off the bench was his time with England during Euro 2016.

Arriving into a side which often looked prosaic and somewhat overwhelmed by their circumstances and the expectations placed on them, Rashford looked bright and lively, unafraid to take players on and play his natural game. This remained evident during United's pre-season, particularly against Galatasaray.

Assuming he is one of the players Mourinho is referring to when he mentions the League Cup and the Europa League, this could be where Rashford shines.

Of course, there may be a slightly disjointed feel to the team around him if significant numbers of fringe players play at the same time, but even with that caveat, eight-to-10 goals in all competitions would be an achievable haul.

The Europa League group stage will feature six games, and subsequent knockout rounds are two-legged. United should also field a fairly strong side in the League Cup, so progression seems possible here.

On top of that, he will get league action, albeit not as much as a guaranteed starter. Ibrahimovic will need a rest at some point, and Rashford really is the player in the squad best suited to play at centre-forward when the Swede is not available.

Wayne Rooney really struggled when asked to play there last season, while Martial will not need the game time given his role as a starter on the left. Rashford was searingly effective as a No. 9 last season.

Of course, the dream scenario would be to see a partnership develop between Ibrahimovic and Rashford. They are naturally complementary in a way that Rooney and the former PSG man are not. Seeing the Swede playing in a deep-lying attacking role with Rashford breaking ahead of him, Martial on the left and Mkhitaryan on the right is an electrifying prospect.

Of course, Rooney's place in the side remains apparently assured for now, but a long season lies ahead.

At the back end of last season, before Mourinho's arrival and before United's heavy-hitting moves in the transfer window, Rashford may have expected to see more game time than he does now. But if he can remain patient, and if Mourinho manages him properly, it could be the best thing that ever happened to him.

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He can learn a great deal from Ibrahimovic and can develop away from the hothouse pressure that would have come with line-leading responsibility. Eighteen is very young.

He will have to moderate his own expectations, as fans will have to. But the short-term sacrifice of a season which should see him make occasional league appearances, regular cup outings and plenty of learning will hopefully lead to tremendous long-term benefits.

This season, the expectations are moderate. But in the future, the ceiling of his potential seems enormous. After all, if he is the "future of England," he will surely be the future of United, too.