FOOTBALL FOCUS
Campaigner, influencer, author – now Marcus Rashford MBE must show... Ole tells United ace to keep his eye on the ball
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has told Marcus Rashford he must now focus on his football and produce his best form for Manchester United.
Rashford, 23, will be included in United’s squad today at Leicester for the first time this season after making a full recovery from shoulder surgery in the wake of Euro 2020.
The United and England forward has seen his profile soar away from football following his formidable work to tackle child food poverty and raise awareness of other social issues.
But now Rashford is fit and ready to play again, the United manager has told him he must put all of his energy into delivering on the pitch rather than off it.
“I know we’ll see the best of Marcus in the years to come,” said Solskjaer.
“He’s done remarkable things at a young age but he’s now coming into the best age for a footballer. He’s learning, getting more experienced and he has time to reflect on what he’s done off the pitch as well, because he’s done some fantastic things.
“Now maybe prioritise his football and focus on football, because he’s got a challenge on his hands here at Manchester United.
“He has a challenge on his hands to play for England and I think Marcus is one of those who takes up those challenges and is going to do so.
“He’s going to express himself and his talent and he knows that we want a lot from him but we’re going to give him the time to get back to what he was and what he can be.”
During his enforced lay-off, Rashford has bulked up in the gym and become more physically robust to give himself the best possible chance of staying injury-free.
“He does look fresh,” said Solskjaer. “He looks keen, he looks fit. He’s bulked little bit, with some muscle.
“He had to bear a lot of the responsibility for us because we’ve had injuries, we’ve had different players out and, at such a young age, he’s done so much for the team and he’s done so much off the pitch as well.
“I think that the time away for him was the time maybe to focus on himself and... I don’t want to say get back to being himself, but
Marcus Rashford running around with that enthusiasm, running in behind, not having to take on too much responsibility, is a great sight to see.
“For us now, he comes back into a different team.
He’s got Jadon Sancho here, Mason Greenwood’s grown, Cristiano Ronaldo is here.
“I want to see that nice grin and smile and enthusiasm that he’s shown so many times and when he comes on the pitch, if he starts or even if he doesn’t, just enjoy yourself and express yourself.
“That’s what Manchester United players do and that’s what we want.”
Solskjaer confirmed that United want Jesse Lingard, who is out of contract in the summer, to sign a new deal after he rejected the club’s initial offer.
“We want to prolong his contract,” added the Norwegian. “We see him as an important player for us.
“Hopefully we can get a deal sorted for Jesse because we really rate him.”