'That’s when I have to speak up’ - The best quotes from Man Utd star Marcus Rashford’s revelatory interview

Marcus Rashford has given a detailed and insightful first-person account of his recent struggles at Manchester United.

After an outstanding first season under Erik ten Hag, the 26-year-old has struggled to hit the same heights this term. Rashford managed just one goal from open play in the first half of the season and, while his performances have improved in the last few months, the forward has still produced just five goals from 32 appearances in all competitions.

That’s an underwhelming tally for a player who netted 30 last season, and in the midst of a downturn in form, Rashford has also had to face many unwanted reports away from the pitch. The England international’s brother was arrested over an alleged assault in November, with the charges dropped earlier this year.

Rashford has also been repeatedly linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, while his on-field body language has been criticised throughout the season. Meanwhile, reports this week also suggested there has been a major falling out with Ten Hag, and that the player and manager are barely on speaking terms.

Then there was January's incident in Belfast when the United star misled the club about his whereabouts and opted to call in sick rather than attend training ahead of an FA Cup tie against Newport County. Rashford was dropped for the game, but returned to the team a few days later for the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But after such media scrutiny, Rashford has hit back and given a detailed account of his version of events. In a first person account with The Players’ Tribune, the 26-year-old admitted to making mistakes, but pointed to the sacrifices both he and his family have made in order to make it at United. Here are some of the best quotes from Rashford’s soliloquy…

Speaking up

“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. I grew up here. I have played for this club since I was a boy. My family turned down life-changing money when I was a kid so I could wear this badge.”

Family sacrifice

“Imagine being 5, 6, 7 years old and taking four different buses across town to get to training at The Cliff. That’s not an exaggeration. Ask my mum. Somebody had to take off work to go with me because nobody had a car in our family. Nobody even had a license.”

Love for United

“People will actually think I’m weird when I start talking about what United means to me. Because if you’re not me, then I’m sure it almost sounds fake. But you have to understand, when I was young, playing for United was everything. It was out of reach for us. It was hard to get there, and even harder to stay there.”

Commitment to United

“When I was about 10 or 11 years old, I was getting a lot of attention, and we had all kinds of agents and clubs trying to pass things to the family. United still hadn’t signed me to a scholarship, and people were offering all kinds of things. A few clubs offered us life-changing money. We’ll buy the family a home, we’ll put cars in your garage. We’ll change your family’s life. At the time, my mum was working as a cashier at Ladbrokes. My brother was working for AA. They had every right to tell me, “Just take the deal.”

There’s more to tell

“People think they know my family’s story, but they’re only scratching the surface. There’s a lot that people don’t know, because I don’t feel comfortable sharing it all while I’m still playing. But the struggle was real. It wasn’t a commercial. It wasn’t a movie.”

United growth

“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. We will be back where we belong. We just have to keep working, and that starts with me.”