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Marcus Rashford Replies Critics Questioning His Commitment To Man United
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has hit back at critics questioning his commitment to the club but has admitted he has “made mistakes”.
Sportxparte reports that the England forward has struggled this season, scoring just five times for under-performing Manchester United after his brilliant performance last season, when he scored a personal best of 30 goals for United.
Rashford has also faced criticism over his off-field conduct.
Reports in late January suggested Rashford had spent an evening at a Belfast nightclub before missing training with United. Manchester United manager, Erik Ten Hag, had branded Rashford’s decision to go to a separate nightclub event after October’s 3-0 derby defeat by Manchester City “unacceptable”.
However, Rashford has said: “So 99 per cent of the time, I can ignore the noise. But sometimes, certain lines get crossed, and I can’t help but want people to just understand who I am as a person”.
He added that he understands the media “game”.
“They’re not writing about me,” he said.
Rashford added: “It’s like they’re writing about this character, ‘Marcus Rashford’. It can’t just be about me as a 26-year-old man on a night out, or a man getting a parking ticket.
“It’s got to be about how much my car costs, guessing my weekly salary, my jewellery, or even my tattoos. It’s got to be about my body language, questioning my morals, and speculating about my family, and my football future. There’s a tone to it that you don’t get with all footballers. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“I felt some of the criticism goes back to the coronavirus pandemic when I launched a high-profile campaign to tackle child food poverty.
“For some reason, that seemed to rub certain people the wrong way, It seems like they’ve been waiting for me to have a human moment so they can point the finger and say, ‘See? See who he is?’
“Listen, I’m not a perfect person. When I make a mistake, I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say that I need to do better.
“But if you ever question my commitment to Man United, that’s when I have to speak up. It’s like somebody questioning my entire identity, and everything I stand for as a man.”
Rashford, talking about his love for Manchester United, said his family had turned down “life-changing money” when he was a child so he could wear the United badge.
“I can take any criticism,” The player said.
He added: “I can take any headline. From podcasts, social media, and the papers. I can take it”.
“But if you start questioning my commitment to this club and my love for football and bringing my family into it, then I’d simply ask you to have a bit more humanity. The thing that I want you to understand is that money is not what keeps you playing through the hard times. It’s the love of the game, plain and simple.
He continues saying, “I promise you, the world has not seen the best of this United squad and these players.
“We want to be back playing in the Champions League, then we have a massive international tournament at the end of the season (Euro 2024).
“If you back me, good. If you doubt me, even better.”
