Marcus Rashford highlighted the impact Louis van Gaal had on his career ahead of Manchester United's Carabao Cup final victory against Newcastle on Sunday.
Rashford, 25, won the fifth trophy of his career at Wembley thanks to a 2-0 win against Eddie Howe's side. Casemiro opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before Rashford doubled Man Utd's advantage. It was the latter's first goal in a cup final.
Van Gaal, who was in charge of Man Utd between 2014 and 2016, gave Rashford his debut at Old Trafford in February 2016. The forward made an instant impact, as he scored twice on his bow against Midtjylland and won the FA Cup three months later.
Van Gaal stopped Rashford from getting carried away by forcing him to finish his college work, even though it made him late for training. Then, when the player turned up late, Van Gaal would fine him. It was a no-win situation for the emerging talent.
Despite this, Rashford is glad Van Gaal took this stance. Speaking to Sky Sports before Sunday's cup final, the England international said: "I always remember Thursdays. I used to get fined every Thursday, [but] it was completely out of my control.
"But this is the type of person that Van Gaal was. He used to tell me I have to finish my college work, it's non-negotiable, but I also can't be late for training, it's non-negotiable. I had 12 minutes to get here from college!"
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Rashford has achieved a lot during his short career. He has scored 118 goals in 341 games for Man Utd - winning the FA Cup, Europa League, Community Shield and now two Carabao Cups. He is also a three-time Premier League Player of the Month.
Rashford's achievements off the pitch are even more impressive. The MBE has raised millions of pounds in the fight against child hunger and forced Boris Johnson's government to change their policy on free school meals during the summer holidays.
Yet Rashford has experienced some tough times on the pitch. He missed a penalty in England's shootout defeat to Italy in the final of Euro 2020 and scored just five club goals last season. Some critics questioned whether his time at Old Trafford was up.
But the forward has enjoyed a roaring return to form this season. He's scored 25 goals for Man Utd in all competitions, with team-mate Phil Jones describing him as the "best player in the world" on current form ahead of Sunday's Carabao Cup final.
On Van Gaal, Rashford added: "The time with Louis was very good for me... Van Gaal was top. At the time I was getting a lot of praise and attention from everywhere outside but the biggest thing for me were his words.
"That was what was making me smile every day. To be part of Man Utd's first tea,. There were some games when it was difficult. I remember a game - Tottenham away - when he took me off at half-time. The next day we spoke honestly - I was still smiling."
