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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay

Manchester United manager Solskjaer praises Marcus Rashford character following penalty miss

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no doubts Marcus Rashford will bounce back from his penalty miss against Italy and continue to be a reliable set-piece taker for Manchester United.

Rashford, 23, was one of three England internationals to miss a spot-kick at Wembley on Sunday as Gareth Southgate's side lost in the final of the European Championship.

In the wake of the agonising defeat many pundits have questioned why penalty duty fell to youngsters Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, although Southgate later confirmed his selection was based on performances in training.

One of Rashford's most famous career moments was his coolness under pressure to dispatch from 12-yards and knock Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League back in 2019, with Solskjaer under no doubt he can trust the English forward whenever he is called upon.

“You know the thing is when you step up to take a penalty, I think you’ve already won,” Solskjaer told club media. "You’ve taken on the responsibility and I’m sure many of the players are hoping I don’t want to take a penalty.

“So I think it’s a great character trait to step up and say I will deal with it, [and] the consequences. You might be the hero or the one who misses. That’s football. You learn from it and definitely come back stronger.

"I’ve not seen many people, at this club anyway, who lay down and say I’ll not take a penalty anymore. I know Marcus is going to put his hand up and say he wants to take one for us.”

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