Solskjaer hails Rashford as future England captain

MARCUS RASHFORD has what it takes to be England captain, Manchester United manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer said yesterday. Solskjaer paid a glowing tribute to Rashford for forcing Prime Minister Boris Johnson into a U-turn over providing meal vouchers for under-privileged children during the school summer holidays. The United boss believes Rashford’s efforts to feed 1.3million kids show the leadership qualities needed to captain his country, having already worn the armband for United against Manchester City in January. ‘It’s an honour to have Marcus. What he’s done during the lockdown has been unbelievable,’ said Solskjaer. ‘He’s obviously a top footballer but he’s also a fantastic human being — a future captain, maybe, of England, Manchester United, who knows? ‘He’s already captained the team at the age of 22. We’re really proud of him and his family must be so proud as well.’ Solskjaer believes that Rashford, who also raised more than £20m with food charity FareShare to provide food for vulnerable families during lockdown, has shown how footballers can use their profile to make a difference in society. ‘He’s changed the lives of so many kids this summer, which is more important than any game he’ll ever play,’ he added. ‘He’s taken from his own experience when he was a kid and knows how much it means. Footballers as a group have been criticised a lot but this lockdown period has made a change in the way people think about larger issues. ’ Meanwhile, Spurs boss Mourinho says Dele Alli did not deserve a ban for a joke video and Eric Dier should not be facing a misconduct charge for going into the stands to defend his brother. ‘Support for him (Dier) was huge,’ said Mourinho. ‘There was no physical contact. He’s trying to help his brother.’