MARCUS RASHFORD is convinced Gareth Southgate’s England can lift silverware for the first time since 1966. The Manchester United striker would have missed this summer’s Euros with a back injury. Now they have been put back to 2021 Rashford has his eyes set firmly on the prize — and wants to follow up with the […]
MARCUS RASHFORD is convinced Gareth Southgate’s England can lift silverware for the first time since 1966.
The Manchester United striker would have missed this summer’s Euros with a back injury.
Now they have been put back to 2021 Rashford has his eyes set firmly on the prize — and wants to follow up with the World Cup in Qatar a year later.
Rashford said: “We should definitely win a trophy. At least one.
“If we don’t, it will be disappointing for me because I believe in the manager and the players. It feels like the right time to win something.
“We’ll give it our best shot at the Euros. If we’re playing our best football, I don’t see why we can’t win it.
“That would be up there with one of the best moments of my career.”
Rashford came close to glory in Russia two years ago. He played in six of England’s seven matches on their march to the World Cup semi-finals, scoring in the nerve-shredding last-16 penalty shootout against Colombia.
Yet, in an interview with Four Four Two, he admits that was not the most nervous he has ever felt.
Nor was it when he was tasked with scoring the spot-kick in the final moments against Paris Saint-Germain last year to win a Champions League tie for United.
No, it actually came in an England UNDER-16s Victory Shield match — and it served to help him for future challenges.
Rash said: “I wasn’t really nervous leading up to that game but I remember coming on and not feeling like I was in the game.
“People say, ‘Don’t let the occasion get to your head’ and that was the only time when it did.
“From then on, that game was in my mind and I never wanted to feel like that again.
“It’s just your state of mind. You have to believe in yourself, the qualities that you bring, and how you can affect the game.
“Once I thought about that a little bit, I was fine going into future games. But I had to change because two years before I made my first-team debut, I didn’t have that mentality.
“That moment definitely helped me.”
That debut memorably came four years ago against Midtjylland in the Europa League — and started four days that changed his life.
From an unknown, he was thrust on to the world stage and scored twice in a 5-1 win. He then bagged another two the following Sunday in a 3-2 victory over Arsenal.
Rashford said: “I’ll never forget those four days. Even the goals in those matches . . . they’re not my favourites but, in terms of what they meant to me, they’re far ahead of the rest.”
He has now played 201 games for United, scoring 64 goals and bagging a winner’s medal in the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.
And as a Manchester lad it is the 2-0 Europa League final win over Ajax in Stockholm that meant the most, coming as it did just two days after the Manchester Arena bombing.
Rashford said: “As a team, we spoke about it the day before the game.
“After what happened, we wanted to put Manchester in a positive light again. We went into that game with the mindset that the result wasn’t going to go any other way.
“Thankfully, we managed to win and we were able to shed a bit of light in a dark moment.”
With 19 goals, Rashford was enjoying his best season in front of goal before a back injury in January curtailed his season.
It came at a time when it really looked like United were turning the corner under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the back of an 11-game unbeaten run.
And Rashford is sure they are on the right track back to the glory days.
He said: “We need to start showing signs that we can be the United of old.
“Football has changed a lot, so it’s not going to be exactly the same, but we know the club can do it. It’s been difficult but it’s a period of transition.
“As long as we stay focused, I don’t see why we can’t turn things around and really improve.”
With Rashford in the side there is every chance of success — for both club and country.
