(Reuters) – Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford must “prioritise his football” to deal with the challenges of playing for his club and country, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.
Rashford underwent shoulder surgery in August and has not played since England’s Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy in July, but he could make his first appearance https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-england-lei-mun-preview-idUKKBN2H51E0 of the season in Saturday’s Premier League game at Leicester City.
The 23-year-old was awarded an MBE last year https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-honours-rashford-idUKKBN26U2KM for services to vulnerable children amid the COVID-19 pandemic and became the youngest recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester this month.
“He has done remarkable things at a young age but he is now coming into the best age for a footballer and he is more experienced,” Solskjaer said.
“You know what he has done off the pitch as well, because he has done some fantastic things, and now to maybe prioritise his football because he’s got a challenge on his hands here at Manchester United, he has a challenge on his hands to play for England.
“I know that we will see the best of Marcus in the years to come.”
Rashford bagged 21 goals and 15 assists in all competitions for United last season and Solskjaer said the club will give him time to rediscover his form this season.
“He knows that we want a lot from him but we are going to give him the time to get back to what he was and what he can be,” Solskjaer said.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
