Marcus Rashford on Thursday predicted he could hit 40 goals this season, buoyed by hearing Wayne Rooney is backing him to break his Manchester United scoring record.

Rooney tops the list of all-time scorers at Old Trafford with 253, but having recently signed a new five-year contract, 25-year-old Rashford looks in a good position to one day overhaul that tally. The 30 goals he scored last season moved him on to 123.

“You never know what’s going to happen, but I’m all about scoring goals and trying to make assists. There’s definitely a chance that it can happen,” said Rashford when asked about Rooney’s all-time United record. “I’ve actually spoken to Wayne about it – he wants me to do it. He said it would be good for me to do it as I’ve grown up at the club. Hopefully I get the opportunity to try and make it happen.”

In an interview with former United defender Gary Neville on his Overlap broadcast, Rashford said he believes he could hit 40 goals if he can stay fit in the forthcoming season. “Before last season, I always said let’s get to 20 – for a winger a good benchmark,” he added. “But this season, I’ve hit 30 so we have to try and push it now and go above and beyond.

“Towards the end of the season, I was struggling with a few injuries, and I probably wasn’t quite at it – that’s when the goals started to dry up a little bit. If I can keep that side of it under control, I feel like I can go on and get 35 or 40.”

Getting personal with @MarcusRashford 💬#MUFC pic.twitter.com/L8E4bgJsE3

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 3, 2023