Jose Mourinho and youth questioned but Marcus Rashford should not fear

Unlike his previous unveilings at Chelsea, there were no gimmicks this time around as Jose Mourinho was introduced as Manchester United manager. There was no "Special One" or the "Happy One," rather he had a very down to earth and measured approach to the questions he was asked.

The only moment when he did come across slightly rattled came when he was questioned about his attitude to promoting youth, which is a cornerstone of Manchester United's philosophy, and something he has been criticised for failing to do at his previous clubs. 

Like Rafa Benitez and his list of facts, which weren't actually facts, or Louis van Gaal and his passing statistics dossier, Mourinho came well prepared for this question. He produced a sheet of 49 names of academy players he had given debuts to over his 16 years of management, saying that statements suggesting he overlooked youth were "lies."

Mourinho's record with young players is something that split United fans ahead of his appointment. While it is accurate to claim he has played 49 players from the academies, that doesn't necessarily support the notion that he gives youth a chance.

At Chelsea, there were just five players he gave starts to in the Premier League over five years, and a total of 352 minutes in the league to products of the youth team. That works out at less than six hours, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek taking up three of those.

Managers can only work with what they have, though, so if the youth team players aren't good enough, Mourinho can't be blamed for that.

While Louis van Gaal has made Mourinho's job easier in a lot of ways, given it will take some doing for the new manager to rival football as dull and success as limited, when it comes to youth, the Dutchman has put pressure on United's new boss.

Van Gaal gave debuts to 14 players, with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Timothy Fosu-Mensah proving to be particularly impressive. In the case of the former, Manchester lad Rashford had an incredible few months towards the end of the season, scoring match-winning goals against Arsenal, Manchester City and West Ham, as well as earning a surprise call up to the England squad for Euro 2016.

Now that Mourinho has brought in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who certainly won't be warming the bench with the reputation he has and money he is earning, questions have been asked over where Rashford will feature in the new manager's plans.

The youngster led the line for Van Gaal in Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney's absence, but when both players returned from injury, Rashford held on to his preferred position in the starting lineup.

With Mourinho, Rashford may find himself flanking Ibrahimovic, with Martial on the other side. This could prove to be a good move for him, particularly at this stage of his career, with his pace a huge asset and something well suited to a wider position.

Regardless, whether Mourinho is a huge promoter of youth or not is fairly irrelevant at this point, as age wouldn't put the manager off using a player who has already proven he is capable of performing at the top level. Maybe Rashford, 18, wouldn't have made his debut for Mourinho if the Portuguese manager was in charge last season, but that matters little now. Rashford has shown what he is capable of and Mourinho didn't become the successful manager he is by ignoring the immensely talented players available to him.

The potential test ahead is if Rashford has a slump in form, something that you might well expect from a player who had his eye set on a starting place in the under-21 side this time last year, but who has now been thrust into the limelight for club and country.

Will Mourinho persevere with Rashford or will he dip in to the transfer market to bring in a player who is tried and tested? The Portuguese allowed players like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne to leave Chelsea and brought in the likes of Samuel Eto'o and a year later, Didier Drogba. Even Radamel Falcao, who had a terrible time at United in 2014-15, was deemed worthy of another chance by Mourinho last season, with the manager possibly having more time for players who have already established themselves, even if age or form is working against them.

However, the introduction of Ibrahimovic doesn't necessarily mean that Rashford is being sacrificed, rather his development is being aided.

When talking about Ibrahimovic at his unveiling, Mourinho said: "His experience will be invaluable in helping to develop the younger players in the squad." 

While time on the pitch is obviously a crucial feature in bringing Rashford's game on, playing and training alongside Ibrahimovic can only be a positive move for the young striker.

It stands to reason that people outside of Old Trafford will be trying to poke holes in Mourinho's reputation, clearly aware that United stand their best chance of winning the title since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, but when it comes to playing Rashford, supporters shouldn't be too concerned.

Mario Balotelli, Alvaro Morata, Jese Rodriguez, Raphael Varane and Davide Santon are among the young players Mourinho put his faith in, and there's no reason why Rashford can't join that list.

It's unlikely that Mourinho will leave a legacy of youth football behind him when his time at United comes to an end, as Sir Matt Busby and Ferguson did, but he will use the players who have proven themselves to be good enough, and for that reason Rashford doesn't have anything to worry about.

Scott is a season-ticket holder from Manchester who set up The Republik of Mancunia in 2006. Follow him on Twitter @R_o_M.