THAT’S HOW RASHFORD AVOIDS THE PITFALLS

MARCUS RASHFORD is on a mission to avoid the pitfalls that await him as the new superstar of English football.

In the space of 19 mad months, Rashford has gone from an unknown to one of the most recognised players on the planet.

It is hard to believe that the Manchester United and England striker is still just a teenager.

The 19-year-old behaves with a maturity beyond his years. That means he knows he now has to be careful where he goes, what he does, and who he does it with.

He said: “You just get to grips with it. The more we have to do it, you’ve just got to take it in your stride.

“The biggest change has probably been the way you have to look after yourself, and look out for yourself as well.

“That’s because everyone is always trying to get something off the back of you, so you have to just take care of yourself.

“People are maybe trying to build themselves up off the back of you. For me, it’s not like that because I have good friends around me. They’ve been my friends a long time.

“But it can be anything, it can be your own friends, or even people’s family members. It’s difficult, but what are you to know?

“Like I said, I have people around me that guide me and kind of keep me away from certain things. Sometimes, as a young player, that’s what’s needed.

“When you’re outside, there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s when you have to be smart and try not to put yourself in those situations, as much as you can.

“I just do normal stuff, to be honest. I play the PlayStation and take the dogs for a walk.”

Rashford’s remarkable rise started last season when Anthony Martial pulled up injured during ® the warm-up before a Europa League game between Manchester United and Midtjylland at Old Trafford.

Rashford was thrown into the action instead and announced himself on the big stage with two debut goals.

Three days later he scored another brace to help United beat Arsenal – and a star was born.

His impact saw him gatecrash Roy Hodgson’s England squad for Euro 2016 in France.

And despite being a part of one of the lowest moments in English football history, when Hodgson’s men crashed out of the last 16 to Iceland, Rashford didn’t let the setback put the brakes on his personal fairy tale.

Hopes

He has continued to impress for both club and country this season and will help carry the hopes of a nation once again when England go to Russia for the World Cup next summer – provided Gareth Southgate’s men complete the job of qualifying in the next week against Slovenia and Lithuania.

The experience of last summer’s embarrassing exit to Iceland would have been more than enough to crush someone of Rashford’s age and inexperience.

“It was quite disappointing, obviously,” he said.

“We went out before we’d expected to go out and before we obviously wanted to go out, so it was a disappointing end to the season.

“But I think since then, as a group, we’ve got a new manager and new staff.

“The players are gelling in a whole different way compared to what we were then.

“I think the set-up and the aim and vision of where we want to go is much better now.”