Stretford End: United And You

Marcus Rashford: The Red That Keeps On Giving

11/06/2020

Whilst it took a pandemic for some of us to realize how other sections of the society have been hit, Manchester United forward, Marcus Rashford had already been doing his part not only on the field but also off the field, visiting injured children after the Manchester Arena attack, giving gifts on his 21st birthday (Yes! You heard that right!), handing out tickets to a lifelong United fan who beat cancer and much more.

The pandemic has seen families making a minimum wage hit the worst. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock caused a bit of an outrage when he asked Premier League footballers to donate a portion of their wages to those in need. But why does it have to be only footballers? There are so many other celebrities out there… and politicians too, it’s no secret that they’ve got loads of cash stashed in some offshore company.

One man that has been contributing in immense proportions to the community and those in need is Marcus Rashford. There are no words to describe as to how proud I am of him and how grateful I am that this man wears the United shirt.

When the United Kingdom was under lock down, Rashford worked with a food re-distribution company called FareShare and helped raise £20 million! This initiative saw approximately 3 million meals per week being distributed to children across the UK. Similarly, last winter, Rashford linked-up with Selfridges, a departmental store, to launch the ‘In-The-Box’ campaign. The initiative saw locals fill boxes with food, clothes and other essentials distributed to the homeless community in Manchester.

“In the past I have done a lot of work in regards to children and when I heard about the schools shutting down I knew that meant free meals for some that they are not getting at school. I remember when I was at school and my mum wouldn’t get home until around six o’clock so my next meal would have been at about 8 o’clock. I was fortunate, and there are kids in much more difficult situations that don’t get their meals at home,” Rashford said in an interview with the BBC.

Rashford was also present at a poetry competition for deaf children in February where he learned sign language and handed out prizes to the winners. This week saw the 22 year old forward take up a PE class for children all across the UK that was broadcasted by BBC. He also asked the parents of the kids to upload pictures and videos of their children doing various exercises which he retweeted on twitter and upload to his Instagram stories, making a lot of people happy.

Speaking of social media, Marcus Rashford has been very interactive with the fans, asking them what they’re watching on Netflix, asking PE teachers to help him pull together a PE session, suggestions for work-out tracks and casual ‘hello’s’.

Rashford has not only impressed us but also fellow team-mate Luke Shaw who stated that Marcus was a big inspiration for a lot of young people and that they’ve got someone to look up to not just on the pitch but off it too, which was really nice to see. 

The Premier League returns in less than a week with United playing Spurs away on 19th June. We’re all happy to see Marcus back in training after he was sidelined in January with a serious back injury. His return will boost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side who are on an 11-match unbeaten run and with Rashford having his best campaign with 14 goals and 5 assists, the Red Devils have a solid chance for making it into the ‘Top 4’.