Rashford says Martial competition good for Man Utd

Cape Town - Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford says the competition for places with Anthony Martial will only make him a better player.

The England international and his French team-mate have both been vying for a place in Jose Mourinho’s attack, and Rashford is glad to be kept on his toes, saying that "without it, you don't improve".

"I think we're both enjoying our football at the moment, we're both having our say in the games, and it's good for us, good for the manager, good for the team."

The Three Lions are preparing for Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. At club level, Rashford is finding it impossible to replace Romelu Lukaku as United’s centre-forward, while at international level Harry Kane has a monopoly on that starting berth.

"That's not in my hands," Rashford said about the prospect of playing up front. "If I'm not playing there, I'm not playing there.

"But wherever I'm playing, I try to get the same results. Obviously, you have to do it in a different way but it's not my decision. I'm a striker but if you have to play elsewhere to wait for your time, so be it."

England face Slovenia at Wembley on Thursday in their penultimate qualifier en route to Russia 2018, with Rashford one of four strikers in Gareth Southgate’s squad, which also includes Jermain Defoe and Daniel Sturridge.