Marcus Rashford on why Man Utd must show what they are made of; How Edinson Cavani arrival increases trophy chances; And how his MBE is just the start of his fight against child food poverty; Watch Newcastle vs Man Utd live this Saturday on Sky Sports Box Office at 8pm
Saturday 17 October 2020 07:21, UK
Marcus Rashford has urged Manchester United to channel the club's tradition of overcoming adversity as they look to bounce back from their Tottenham horror show.
United suffered their joint-heaviest home defeat before the international break as Spurs inflicted a humiliating 6-1 defeat on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
It left United floundering two places above the relegation zone after two defeats from their opening three Premier League games and has seen Saturday's trip to Newcastle - live on Sky Sports Box Office - take on even greater significance.
Rashford has demanded an immediate response, saying: "This is the opportunity to bounce back. Newcastle is a big game anyway, but this is an even bigger game because of the last result.
"When you lose a game you want another one as soon as possible, you want to get that winning feeling back among the squad. Not only do we want to win, we want to win in a way that we can be proud of.
"We want to work hard, not only for ourselves by for the guy on our left and right and do it as a team. We want to get three points together and then move onto the next game, that's the way it's got to be."
Rashford added: "It has to change, if it doesn't then it is not what Manchester United are about.
"That's not to say United haven't had setbacks when they were winning things, but if they did, they always came back and showed what they were made of and why they played for the club. It's important for us to do that now.
"We need to forget about what's happened and focus on getting the best out of all of us on the pitch individually and as a team because if we do that, we will win games.
"Then we've got to find consistency. We have to concentrate on ourselves, improve our own performances and start picking up points."
United's bid to move up the table has been bolstered by the Deadline Day arrival of Paris Saint-Germain's all-time leading goalscorer, Edinson Cavani.
The trip to St. James' Park comes too soon for the Uruguayan to feature, with Cavani serving the final day of his self-isolation period after travelling from France, but Rashford is relishing the competition and quality of United's latest recruit.
"As a forward line [the arrival of Cavani] is something to look forward to," he added. "Hopefully he comes in and scores goals, because he can definitely help us win games and points.
"He can be a massive player for us this season. To win two or three trophies in a season you need a squad, it's not possible if you don't have people who can score goals one week and the next week, it's just not possible without three or four forwards in a team.
"Growing up, United always had four or five forwards who could score goals at any time. The closer we get to that, the more strength we'll have."
As well as battles on the pitch, Rashford has been a pioneer in tackling issues off it.
His tireless work fighting child food poverty earned recognition in the form of an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours' list for services to vulnerable children during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rashford welcomed the honour but emphasised that there was plenty of work still to be done, adding: "It was a nice moment.
"It's something we weren't expecting but it doesn't change anything, it's important to keep the same mindset and mentality.
"What we were doing that resulted in me being awarded that [MBE] was purely based on helping other people and it's important the focus remains on that.
"Me and my family were one of those struggling when I was younger, so helping where I can feels almost normal. It's tough for me to speak because I don't feel like I'm doing anything out of the ordinary or something that shouldn't have already been done.
"People are more aware of the problems and have started joining us and helping us. The main thing is to use my position in a positive way, once you do that others can do the same thing.
"It's opened eyes and more and more people are using the platform to affect people that need help. It's only a small thing but it can make a big difference."
