Marcus Rashford has responded to criticism over his lifestyle and commitment to Manchester United and believes his campaign against child food poverty has attracted backlash because it “rude some people the wrong way”.
Rashford was noted by BBC commentator Alan Shearer for his body language in the FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest, with the former England striker insisting that “as an individual you have to take responsibility for your actions on the pitch every now and then”.
The 26-year-old United striker has hinted that there is a “tone” to the coverage he receives that other footballers are not subject to, indicating a bias. He has “accepted responsibility for his actions” this season after calling in sick after failing to appear in training for two nights in Belfast.
“This can’t just be about me going out at night as a 26-year-old lad, or a lad getting a parking ticket,” Rashford wrote on the Players’ Tribune website. “It has to do with how much my car costs, my weekly salary, my jewelry and even my tattoos. It has to do with my body language, questioning my morals, speculating about my family and my football future. He has a style that you cannot find in all football players. Let’s leave it at that.
“I think some of this goes back to the pandemic. I was trying to use my voice to make sure kids didn’t go hungry because I know exactly what that feels like. For some reason this seemed to rub some people the wrong way. Apparently they are waiting for me to have a human moment so they can point fingers and say: “See? Have you seen who you really are?”
Rashford received an MBE and was recognized internationally for his work providing free school meals and other support to low-income families during the holidays in England. Last season was United’s most successful goal-scoring campaign on the pitch, but the season saw a dip in form and questions about his commitment.
He revealed he turned down “life-changing” money to stay at United’s academy and tried to play for another team before returning to his boyhood club.
“Listen, I’m not a perfect person. “When I make a mistake, I will be the first person to raise my hand and say I need to do better,” he said. “But if you question my commitment to Manchester United then I will have to say it openly. It’s like someone is questioning my whole identity and everything I stand for as a man. I grew up here. I’ve played for this club since I was a kid. My parents wanted me to wear this badge when I was a kid. He turned down the money that would change my life.
“I can accept all kinds of criticism. I can take all kinds of headlines. From podcasts, social media and newspapers. I can take it. But if you start to question my commitment to this club, my love for football and involving my family in this, then I would ask you to be a little more humane. “
Rashford played in last weekend’s defeat to Fulham, which dashed United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
“I promise you, the world hasn’t seen the best of this United team and these players,” he said. “We want to get back to the Champions League, then we’ll have a big international tournament at the end of the season. We’ll get back to where we belong. We just have to keep working and that starts with me.
Rashford too…
Childhood
Rashford described the public version of his upbringing as “only superficial” and said he was much more than just being from Wythenshawe, south Manchester, as a child. This was where she lived with her mother, but she also stayed with her aunt in Hulme, with her grandmother in Moss Side, and with her brother in Chorlton. “No matter how hard it was, I wouldn’t change any of this because it made me who I am,” she wrote. When he started for United at the age of seven, he would take four buses from Manchester to train at The Cliff. “Someone had to take time off work to come with me because no one in our family had a car,” he wrote. “Nobody even had a licence. In the early days there were two buses going into the city, then we had to go out of town to Salford and walk through the city to catch the other bus. Even in the pouring rain. There’s nothing really good to eat.
Offers to leave United
By the time he was 11, other clubs were trying to persuade Rashford to take him away from United. At his age, his family, rather than a manager, were in charge of his affairs and Rashford cites a family meeting where he made it clear he wanted to play for United. “A few clubs offered us life-changing money. We will buy the family a house, put a car in your garage,” he wrote. “We will change your family’s life. At the time, my mother was working as a cashier at Ladbrokes. My brother was working in the AA. They tried to tell me, ‘Take the deal.’ They had rights.” Rashford also revealed that he played two games for a different Academy but told his family he wanted to return to United. Saying it’s a big risk, Rashford insists “we bet it all on ourselves, all our chips.”
Errors
Rashford’s 2000 spell was fueled by accusations that he was not committed to United, but there were also incidents during the Erik Ten Hag era in which his professionalism was questioned. He was let go after sleeping in and missing a team meeting. This season his manager criticized him for throwing a birthday party on the evening of the Manchester derby defeat, then he was disciplined for going to Belfast and partying before missing training through illness. “I’m a human. I made the same mistakes that many young people in their 20s make, and I tried to learn from them. “But I also made sacrifices that no one saw,” he said. “What I want you to understand is that it’s not money that keeps you playing in tough times. It’s the love of the game, plain and simple.”
Criticism fuels it
Rashford gives very little information when speaking in public. It may seem distant. He looked one of the most determined players in the Premier League last season and now says questions about his commitment stem from the criticism leveled at him. “Part of me doesn’t care if people doubt me. “I get suspicious when everyone tells me they love me,” he wrote. “I know how the world works. I really needed to be a young man. I’ve always had to rely on myself. “Whenever I’m in my darkest places and it feels like half the world is against me, I go out on my own for a few days, reset, and then I’m okay.”
fans
Interestingly, Rashford feeds off the energy of the fans and the way they create an atmosphere, good or bad, is clearly perceived by the players at United. City have been the dominant team in Manchester and the Premier League since Rashford broke into the first team at United, and he has described his period at Old Trafford as “transitional”. “When we win, you are the biggest fans in the world,” he wrote. He wants more of “that old-school positive energy” and hinted that fans had perhaps underestimated what a powerful force they could be to take the team forward. He writes that his closeness to Rashford is perhaps because he is a fan himself and understands the rivalry between City and Liverpool. He remembers attacking his friend James Milner at the Derby because the emotion was so intense.
Current squad
This was a United team that won the cup and finished in the top four last season. They’ve dined at the best table in Europe this season, but they don’t look like they belong there. Rashford’s message is that they can get back there soon and the current squad has the capacity to improve. Following last weekend’s defeat at Fulham, the manager was talking about entering the transfer market, but Rashford says there could also be development from within.