Solskjaer urges Marcus Rashford to concentrate on his job at Manchester United

Marcus Rashford-Manchester United

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told striker Marcus Rashford he has to prioritise football if he wants to make the most of his career with club and country.

The England man has been widely acclaimed for helping to tackle child food poverty, and famously forced the British government into a U-turn over school meal vouchers last year after the pandemic.

But his club coach believes that he must keep his focus on football to reach his highest potential.

Rashford will be in the United squad for the first time this season against Leicester City on Saturday after recovering from shoulder surgery in August.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference praised, Solskjaer praised the 23-year-old striker for his charity work, noting that the challenge of playing for England and United will make should make the striker focused.

“I know that we will see the best of Marcus in the years to come,” said Solskjaer. 

“He has done remarkable things at a young age, but he is now coming into the best age for a footballer.

“You know what he has done off the pitch as well because he has done some fantastic things, and now it is time to maybe prioritise his football and focus on football.

“He’s got a challenge on his hands here at Manchester United, he has a challenge on his hands to play for England and I think Marcus is one of those who takes up those challenges.

“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.”

Manchester United have reportedly asked Rashford to bulk up to protect against further injury in the future. During his time on the sideline, he added 4kg in the muscle on his lower body doing triple sessions on the pitch and in the gym. But the striker has been told he also needs to strengthen his upper body following the shoulder operation.

“He does look fresh,” Solskjaer added. 

“He looks keen, he looks fit. He’s bulked up a little bit, some muscle.

“Of course, he had to bear a lot of the responsibility for us because we’ve had injuries, we’ve had different players out. At such a young age, he’s done so much for the team and he’s done so much off the pitch as well.

“I think that the time away for him was the time maybe to focus on himself and get back to being himself, you know, Marcus Rashford running around with that enthusiasm, running in behind, not having to take on too much responsibility is a great sight to see.

“For us now, he comes back into a different team. He’s got Jadon (Sancho) here, Mason (Greenwood) has grown, Cristiano (Ronaldo) is here.

“We want to see that nice grin and smile and enthusiasm that he’s shown so many times. And when he comes on the pitch, if he starts or he doesn’t, just enjoy yourself and express yourself. That’s what Man United players do and that’s what we want.”