Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has explained how Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo inspired him growing up at the club.

The Portuguese captain left Old Trafford in 2009 to join the Spanish giant after collecting a third successive Premier League winner’s medal with the Red Devils.

The 18-year-old revealed that the one thing that inspired him the most was the fact that when Ronaldo joined the in 2003, he always wanted to be the best player at United because everybody looked up to him.

‘When Cristiano Ronaldo came to United, he was the one who everyone looked up to,’ Rashford told the Manchester United website.

‘The thing that impressed me the most was the fact he was only young when he came into the side and he wanted to be the best player in the side.’

Rashford continued to say that obsession with becoming the best player in the world paid off and it was proven on the field as well after spending everyday training.

‘He worked hard every single day, you saw him in the gym every single day and the results came on the pitch. He openly wanted to be the best player in the world,’ he added.

Rashford insists that he was equally impressed with Ronaldo’s single-mindedness, declaring that all the best players in the world has the same mindset to achieve success.

‘You have to have an approach like that – all the best players in the world do. It’s not arrogance or anything like that, it’s the mindset you need to achieve things,’ the striker said.

Manchester United will now turn their focus on their Europa League clash against Feyenoord at De Kuip on Thursday.