Marcus Rashford MBE (born 31 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.
A Manchester United player from the age of seven, Rashford scored two goals on both his first-team debut against Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League in February 2016 and his Premier League debut against Arsenal three days later. He also scored in his first Manchester derby, as well as on his EFL Cup and UEFA Champions League debuts. With United, Rashford has won the FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield and UEFA Europa League.
Rashford scored on his England debut in May 2016, becoming the youngest English player to score in his first senior international match. He played at the UEFA Euro 2016 as the tournament's youngest player, and also represented England at both the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020.
He is a campaigner against racism, homelessness and child hunger in the United Kingdom. Rashford has been praised for using his platform to be a political activist and philanthropist to drive societal change. For his efforts, he has received widespread praise, and has been recognised for his efforts from organisations both in and outside of sport, and was subject of a mural painted by street artist Akse in Withington.
Rashford can play as either a centre forward or a winger, primarily on the left-wing. Rashford himself prefers playing on the left, a position which allows him to cut inside and strike on goal with his stronger right foot, and likes to drop deep to collect the ball and build an attack, something he learned as a youngster when playing as a central midfielder following a battle with Osgood–Schlatter disease. In his formative years, Rashford's former youth coach Paul McGuinness noted how he was attempting to play similarly to Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo, but he and fellow coaches Warren Joyce and Colin Little saw Rashford's potential as a striker and helped him work on his body shape and various attacking runs. They advised him to focus on being a goalscorer rather than a creative player, and to use his pace to make runs behind the defence. His coaches were reminded of Danny Welbeck due to his versatility, but it was decided to instead teach him the "art" of goalscoring, instructing him how to make runs at the right time, and was held back from playing reserve team football to give him confidence in his goalscoring abilities by pitting him against lesser defences. Rashford says his versatility can enable him to become the "ultimate centre forward".
Rashford is a pacey and direct player, and often moves to central positions to create chances and get into goalscoring positions. He constantly tests defenders both with his movement and positioning off the ball, meaning opponents often double up on him. Rashford's former United manager José Mourinho has said he is "not a target man, he is a man of movement. I do not think he is a pure nine", comments echoed by his manager with England, Gareth Southgate, who has said his ability to play with his back to goal and his hold-up play weren't his major strengths, and is better suited as a "wide raider" coming in off the wing.
Another former manager at United, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has been credited with improving him as a player and helping him mature by giving him freedom as a winger he hadn't previously experienced. Rashford's main attributes also include his dribbling ability, and his "ruthless" finishing ability, which has been compared to that of former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, a player McGuinness advised him to study while they worked together in the club's academy. Rashford understands the need for a striker to be able to score different kinds of goals to be a player who can score 20-25 per season, and is said to be a player with composure and awareness. Rashford often takes penalties and free kicks for United, and has been known to use the knuckleball technique on set pieces, which was popularised by Cristiano Ronaldo during his first spell at the club.
His success has been credited to his drive and personal ambition both on and off the pitch, and is viewed as a role model for younger players like Mason Greenwood due to his success at a young age. He attributes his "focus and dedication" to watching and listening to former United striker Robin van Persie, and recalls seeing pictures of former academy players such as David Beckham and Paul Scholes on the walls of Carrington, United's training centre, and being determined to reach the same level they had. According to McGuinness he was always professional and mature, and even at a young age, has been described as a leader,with former United and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves saying he has the characteristics to be a captain.
Rashford has praised former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović and Mourinho with helping improve his mentality, describing their combined influence as key to his development. He has been described as a "big game player" due to his performances and contributions in important matches, including on several débuts for club and country. Rashford has also received praise for his willingness to play on despite major injuries, with manager Solskjær saying he would "run through a brick wall for you", while his captain Harry Maguire describes him as a battler. Louis van Gaal, Rashford's first senior manager, and Fletcher Moss coach Dave Horrocks have both praised his ability to handle criticism, with van Gaal saying it was amongst his best assets. |
