Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole has stressed the importance of United building a team around home-grown players with Marcus Rashford leading the lot.

The success of the fabled Class of ’92 comes to mind when thinking about the Red Devils putting their faith in academy graduates.

And Andy Cole believes Manchester United should take advantage of Marcus Rashford’s desire to commit his long-term future at the club and turn him into a talismanic presence.

Rashford, alongside the likes of Jesse Lingard, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong are keen to follow in the footsteps of the Class of ’92.

The former Red Devils striker told Sky Sports : “What I like about Marcus Rashford, he’s got all the ability in the world.

“But you could tell under the previous manager [Jose Mourinho] his confidence was waning lower, lower and lower.

“Ole’s gone in there and he’s said to him ‘we all know how good you are, just believe in yourself’ and he’s done that.

“When he first got in the team, you knew what he could do. He kind of went away from that a little bit, confidence and whatever. Now he’s back at what he’s good at.

“I think Marcus came out the other day and said he’s prepared to sign a new contract now, so he’s telling everyone he wants to stay. Not for the short haul, for the long haul.

“You’ve got to build your players around the local boys. I was fortunate to do just that during my time at Manchester United.

“He’s definitely going to be one of the mainstays of the football club.”

Rashford has thrived in the central position since the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He was often deployed on the flanks under previous manager Jose Mourinho.

The 21-year-old currently has 13 goals to his name this season – matching his personal best – and has already reached the double figure mark in the Premier League for the first time.