What We Learned From Rashford's Interview

Saturday’s edition of United Review includes a in-depth interview with Marcus Rashford, whose transition from Academy star to first-team hero has been swifter than his trademark darts at goal. Here, Mark Froggatt highlights five talking points from the colourful Q&A...

1: LAST SEASON IS THE PAST
Few players within United's illustrious history have experienced a rise as rapid as Rashford and, remarkably, only 112 days separated his debut brace against Midtjylland and an appearance at Euro 2016 last season. You would expect him to be buzzing, still high on life, but it is clear to see that he hasn't dwelled on his achievements and is concentrating solely on the future. “A lot of things happened and it is now behind me,” he explained. “It was last season. I have to try and recreate those moments this year.”

2: HIS MOST IMPORTANT GOAL
“I like the feeling that it gave me and I want more,” Marcus admitted, while recalling the emotion of his late winner at Hull City last month. It clearly meant a lot to him and not only because it allowed him to build momentum in his first full season, but also as he celebrated with the travelling United fans. The drama of it all – the pouring rain, the 90th minute, the late win – led him to describe it as “the most important goal” of his short career, beaten only in the emotional stakes by his debut strike against Midtjylland at Old Trafford.

3: HE VISUALISES SUCCESS
Rashford wields a maturity far beyond his years and there was some irony in our interview taking place in the week when many other 18-year-olds became university freshers without a long-term plan. He is totally focused, however, speaking impressively about his mental preparation and how he likes to visualise his goals in advance. He knows he won’t always start but maintains the process as a substitute, which paid dividends at Northampton Town on Wednesday. “You have to approach every game as if you are starting,” he pointed out. “But even when you are on the bench you visualise coming on and scoring.”

4: RESPECT FOR LEICESTER 
Although he never considered the prospect of Leicester winning the title last season – “I never think that another team is going to win the league” – Rashford is full of respect for Saturday’s opponents and spoke highly of their players' “instinctive understanding” on the pitch. He specifically praised the triumvirate of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater but backed United to take all three points. He feels this is a platform for the Reds to send out a message after suffering consecutive Premier League defeats.

5: NOBODY HAS SEEN HIS BEST GOAL
Readers of United Review this season will know each player interview includes a section called ‘Football & Me’, in which the subject answers a series of quickfire questions about their career. We asked Marcus to name his best-ever goal, at any level of the game, and he surprisingly went way back. “I was about 15 years old and I scored one from the kick-off,” he said. “There was me and another player, we started the kick-off together and then we went straight forward from there.”

Credit: Manutd.com