Robin van Persie has advised Marcus Rashford against trying to copy anyone else, amid comparisons between the 22-year-old and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rashford has received plenty of praise for his recent performances, not least from his manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who insists that the attacker has the potential to become a “top, top player”.
Solskjaer has even mentioned Rashford in the same breath as United legend Ronaldo, who won three Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time in Manchester.
Van Persie has, however, warned the Red Devils talisman not to try and be “someone else”, encouraging him to learn what he can from the best players in the game without imitating their style.
“I’ve seen so many players who want to be someone else, it doesn’t work,” the ex-United forward told Rashford during a feature interview for BT Sport .
“If you can learn bits and pieces, great. But don’t try to emulate or copy people.”
Van Persie went on to recall watching Dennis Bergkamp in training during his time at Arsenal and being inspired to improve his all-round game by a fellow Dutchman’s brilliance on the ball.
He added: “With Dennis for example, I saw him doing one session where he did a passing drill with the younger players. He didn’t make one mistake in 45 minutes, whereas I’d make 50 mistakes, sloppy mistakes.
“I had to change myself, the target was to be a top player. So along the way, you learn bits and pieces.”