Rashford Reflects On Meteoric Rise

Marcus Rashford has been speaking exclusively to Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves about his remarkable seven-month rise into the first-team fold at Manchester United.

SHREEVES: How do you look back at the last seven months?

RASHFORD: It was an amazing time for me to come into the first team, the way everything was set out was perfect for me. There were a lot of games coming all at once and I was playing a lot of minutes so it was a good time to come in the team.

SHREEVES: Was your debut against Midtjylland beyond schoolboy dreams?

RASHFORD: Some stages of it were, yes. Firstly, it's rare for a player to get injured in the warm-up, it doesn't happen every game. The substitutes warm up separately and there was about two minutes left of their warm-up. I'd only messed around with the ball when one of the assistants came over and threw me a bib and all of a sudden I was in the XI that's starting. You go back to the changing rooms and all the players tell you position you need to be in and then before you know it you're out on the pitch for a game of football.

SHREEVES: Were you nervous ahead of the game?

RASHFORD: I was quiet calm, I thought I would be more nervous and worried about the game but when it came to it I was quite calm. We went a goal down but I didn't get that gutted feeling when I go a goal down now in a game, I was just happy to play. And then, obviously, the goals started coming and we started performing well as a team so it was a good day.

SHREEVES: How did you feel after making your debut?

RASHFORD: Nothing really hits you until you go out and people ask you for pictures constantly. Then you start to realise what's happened. It was probably a few weeks after the game when everything starts to become a bit weird and surreal. When I go into college my friends there, who I have known since I was 11 or 12, ask for pictures and autographs for friends and family so it's a bit strange to get used to.

SHREEVES: How much has your life changed?

RASHFORD: It's a bit different than before I started playing but you get used to the things you can and can't do, it's part of the lifestyle.

SHREEVES: What is it like juggling your education with being a Manchester United player?

RASHFORD: I've been going to the school and college since I was about 12 and it's mainly the same people that have been there. Everyone was good and relaxed and tried to understand what it would be like so they didn't ask me too many questions. That's part of the set up here, they get you in early and young so you can mix with other people as well as the United players. That keeps me grounded, the teachers are similar to the ones you have when you're young - they don't constantly throw new teachers at you - so you can get familiar with the faces that you see.

SHREEVES: Is education important to you?

RASHFORD: Definitely. You might not like it but you have to finish it. Once you finish it you can go and play your football. The club gives you incentives to finish early so you can come in and train and play. I like most subjects, maths and English are my two strongest but I was never too good at science so I got rid of that early.

SHREEVES: What was your Premier League debut against Arsenal like?

RASHFORD: It was an amazing feeling. Arsenal is a big game and the goals were so close together that everything happened so fast. We went in 2-1 up at half-time and you knew it was a good game.

SHREEVES: Were you calm when you scored the goals?

RASHFORD: Not when I scored them, no. I was calm while I was playing but once I scored everything just crazy. The crowd, the players running towards you - it gets your adrenaline really high. You can't stay calm in that moment.

SHREEVES: Did you have to pinch yourself after scoring the winning goal in the derby?

RASHFORD: In the games before the derby, I hadn't scored any goals but there were opportunities to score goals. Everyone was telling me to stay calm because everyone goes through a little period where they don't score goals in two or three matches. So that's what I did and when the chance came I took it. It was strange because we were away from home but it almost felt like were at home. Our fans were far away in the corner but it just felt like I was playing a home game, our fans were god that game and everything felt as though it was the Arsenal game in front of our home fans.

SHREEVES: Is that your best moment in a Manchester United shirt so far?

RASHFORD: Yes, 100 per cent. There is nothing better than beating City. But the derby was very close and the emotions I went through that game was different to any other game.

SHREEVES: How did you hear about being called up by England?

RASHFORD: Before we went out to training, one of the lads told me I was in the 26-man squad but I didn't actually believe him. Then, when I got in, I saw the squad list and started to believe. Everyone was saying well done but before I knew it I was back in training with them so I had to make another impression.

SHREEVES: What was it like teaming up with England for the first time?

RASHFORD: It was a good experience because these are the biggest players in England. It was different because we have some big players here that are English and then to have them all together is a different and new experience. I enjoyed it, it was a good experience training and playing the games.

SHREEVES: What's it like for you being around big characters like Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic?

RASHFORD: At first it's a bit strange being around them, obviously I've watched these players since I was a kid when I first started playing football so to be around them every day at the beginning was very weird. But you've got to embrace it because they're getting older and you've got to learn off them while you can.

SHREEVES: Were you in awe of them?

Definitely. You don't speak to them until they speak to you but you get used to having them around and they are there to help the team through everything in their career so they can only help, young players especially.

SHREEVES: Have any of the senior players taken you to one side to speak to you?

RASHFORD: A lot of the older players have taken me to one side to speak to me; Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan - they're all quite good with things like that. Having a word with you does help on and off pitch because it's them. I don't get star struck as much now, you have to sit down and understand that what's happened is in the past and we're trying to recreate those moments and be more successful as a team this season.

SHREEVES: A little birdie told me you were a little star struck when a certain Thierry Henry came to Carrington...

RASHFORD: Thierry Henry is one of my heroes, he is one of the players I watched when I was younger. When I was 17 I changed position to be a forward and he, along with the Brazilian Ronaldo, were the two players I tried to mirror my performance on so I would watch how they scored goals. He was definitely one of the major players. It's crazy when you think about it, he knows who I am and it's very strange. You see ex-professionals talking about you, players you think would never know you, so it's different but when you hear these things from those types of people it just gives you so much more confidence and belief that you can go on and achieve more.

SHREEVES: Whose comments have caught you attention?

RASHFORD: Managers of other teams have said that they've been impressed by me. Phil Neville has said a lot of good things about me and obviously the managers and staff here have too, Louis van Gaal said a few good things, and the players. So there are a lot of people who said positive points and when you hear that it gives you a lot more confidence and self-belief.

SHREEVES: When you weren't starting as many games as you were last season what were your thoughts, were you frustrated?

RASHFORD: It is frustrating but I'm not angry that I'm not playing because I understand it's difficult, we have a lot of big players and a lot of players in my situation as well who are not getting the minutes they probably thought they deserved to get. But all of this is good for the squad because everyone is competing in training and it's improving us as players and as a squad. What he has done with the team and the players is a good thing.

SHREEVES: Were you disappointed when you weren't called into Sam Allardyce's England squad because you hadn't played enough?

RASHFORD: You can't pick a squad of players who aren't playing, you have to understand his decision and I agreed with it. If you picked a squad with players who aren't playing you wouldn't have a good chance. I was expecting to go with the U21s and I went there wanting to play some football.

SHREEVES: What about this season so far? It seems like normal service is resuming...

RASHFORD: I'm just trying to play with freedom like I did last year and the manager supports me with that. Like he did in the Hull came, he just tells me to go and help the team win the game. I was here, there and everywhere during that game trying to find gaps and help the team win the game.

SHREEVES: I've read you change the way you play and the type of player you want to be. Can expand on that.

RASHFORD: In terms of how I can affect other teams the change has improved me a lot as a player. Two years ago I wasn't running in behind, I didn't have that in my game and I wanted the ball into feet to take players on a play passes. Running in behind was something other players would always do and I would give them the pass into the space. When you change position you can see that you can affect the game sometimes more without touching the ball. A lot depends on the opponent but doing that when I was younger helps me more now. You can affect some teams more with the ball at your feet as they may be good at protecting the space in behind while some other teams press you all the time when you have the ball so it's difficult to do things on the ball but they might not be as good when you're running in behind.


SHREEVES: Do you see yourself in a specific position?

RASHFORD: I'm a number nine but I can play the other positions. For me, the position where I can score the most goals is in the middle, number nine.

SHREEVES: Is every day a school day, do you learn something new with every game you play?

RASHFORD: I learn something new every game. Every game is always different no matter how you try and think about it beforehand. That's why I try not to think about the opposition too much before the game because some of the players here have played the opposition 10 or 12 times whereas I haven't done that yet so I don't fully know how other teams play. If I start thinking about the game and how I think they're going to play when it gets to the game things could be totally different and that's one of the things that has surprised me, how every game in the league has been different and how I've learned different things.

SHREEVES: Where do you think you can improve and what do you want to become?

RASHFORD: I want to become the ultimate centre forward, I want to be able to play on the left and on the right and down the middle. To do that I need to improve my game down the dies especially because my positioning on the sides, where I haven't played since I was about 12 or 13, is a bit off. The manager has been doing some work with me off the left and right so I think he's trying to improve me in those areas.

SHREEVES: What do you want to achieve this season on a personal basis?

RASHFORD: I want to score more goals, the main thing is goals. A few years ago my aim wasn't to score as many goals as I could it was to show people my talents and what I could do. Now things have changed. There's some games where your touch might be off but it doesn't mean that you can't score goals and win the game for your team. On a personal level, scoring a lot of goals is the main objective. As a team we have a good squad and we can compete for the titles this season definitely.

Credit: Skysports.com