Rashford has been one of England’s key players at the World Cup in Qatar and is among the top scorers at the tournament so far.
The 25-year-old has also enjoyed a resurgence at Old Trafford this term following the arrival of Dutch manager Ten Hag in the summer.
Rashford has registered eight goals and three assists across 19 games for United so far in 2022-23, with the campaign currently paused for the World Cup.
His upturn in form follows a tricky 2021-22 season for Rashford, who struggled under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Legendary United forward Rooney spoke to The Times about the striker and said: ‘You could see Rashford’s confidence grow after his goals against the Welsh.
‘Confidence is the key with him. During the first half against Wales he was a bit sloppy and gave the ball away a few times, but didn’t let it get him down.
‘You can see the difference between Marcus now, and Marcus when he was struggling last season, in his mannerisms.
‘He is smiling a lot more, running with the ball, being more direct. I think we’ve seen the same change in him at Manchester United, where Erik ten Hag has done a great job in managing him.
‘It looks like Marcus is in a much better place in his head and the big thing, for me, is that during Covid he did so much campaigning work and got involved with a lot of stuff off the pitch.
‘His achievements were incredible, but I think it might have been a bit too much for him.
‘Rather than being able to just focus on his football, there was a lot on his plate, whereas what we’ve seen this season is very much a focus on football first rather than anything else.
‘From some of the goals he has scored, you can see he is in a different headspace.
You see his confidence and his willingness to run in behind. He always wants the ball.
‘That Marcus Rashford is a real asset for England. And if Harry Kane is going to drop deep and play through balls then Marcus, with those runs, is probably the best player for Harry to play with.
‘I watched Marcus develop at Manchester United and there are not many players with his speed and direct running at goal.
‘You never know how much football players these days actually watch but I know from being in camps that at tournaments you sit around together watching a lot of games as a group.
‘And I reckon, watching France, Marcus will be watching Kylian Mbappe and how, when he gets the ball on the left, he is so fast and direct. I reckon Marcus will be looking at Mbappé and thinking, ‘I can do that’.’
MORE : Maguire salutes Rashford’s return to form and tells the striker: The world is your stage
MORE : Rio Ferdinand claims World Cup stars are in awe of Manchester United ace
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