Rashford reflects on rise

Marcus Rashford has been speaking exclusively to Sky Sports’ Geoff Shreeves about his remarkable seven-month rise into the first-team fold at Manchester United.

You can watch the full interview – also available On Demand – in the build-up to Manchester United v Leicester City live on Saturday from 11.30am on Sky Sports 1 HD.

If you can’t wait until then, here a full transcript of when Shreeves met Rashford…

SHREEVES: How do you look back at the last seven months?

RASHFORD: It was an amazing time for me to come into the first team, the way everything was set out was perfect for me. There were a lot of games coming all at once and I was playing a lot of minutes so it was a good time to come in the team.

SHREEVES: Was your debut against Midtjylland beyond schoolboy dreams?

RASHFORD: Some stages of it were, yes. Firstly, it’s rare for a player to get injured in the warm-up, it doesn’t happen every game. The substitutes warm up separately and there was about two minutes left of their warm-up. I’d only messed around with the ball when one of the assistants came over and threw me a bib and all of a sudden I was in the XI that’s starting. You go back to the changing rooms and all the players tell you position you need to be in and then before you know it you’re out on the pitch for a game of football.

SHREEVES: Were you nervous ahead of the game?

RASHFORD: I was quiet calm, I thought I would be more nervous and worried about the game but when it came to it I was quite calm. We went a goal down but I didn’t get that gutted feeling when I go a goal down now in a game, I was just happy to play. And then, obviously, the goals started coming and we started performing well as a team so it was a good day.

SHREEVES: How did you feel after making your debut?

RASHFORD: Nothing really hits you until you go out and people ask you for pictures constantly. Then you start to realise what’s happened. It was probably a few weeks after the game when everything starts to become a bit weird and surreal. When I go into college my friends there, who I have known since I was 11 or 12, ask for pictures and autographs for friends and family so it’s a bit strange to get used to.

SHREEVES: How much has your life changed?

RASHFORD: It’s a bit different than before I started playing but you get used to the things you can and can’t do, it’s part of the lifestyle.

SHREEVES: What is it like juggling your education with being a Manchester United player?

RASHFORD: I’ve been going to the school and college since I was about 12 and it’s mainly the same people that have been there. Everyone was good and relaxed and tried to understand what it would be like so they didn’t ask me too many questions. That’s part of the set up here, they get you in early and young so you can mix with other people as well as the United players. That keeps me grounded, the teachers are similar to the ones you have when you’re young – they don’t constantly throw new teachers at you – so you can get familiar with the faces that you see.

SHREEVES: Is education important to you?

RASHFORD: Definitely. You might not like it but you have to finish it. Once you finish it you can go and play your football. The club gives you incentives to finish early so you can come in and train and play. I like most subjects, maths and English are my two strongest but I was never too good at science so I got rid of that early.

SHREEVES: What was your Premier League debut against Arsenal like?

RASHFORD: It was an amazing feeling. Arsenal is a big game and the goals were so close together that everything happened so fast. We went in 2-1 up at half-time and you knew it was a good game.

SHREEVES: Were you calm when you scored the goals?

RASHFORD: Not when I scored them, no. I was calm while I was playing but once I scored everything just crazy. The crowd, the players running towards you – it gets your adrenaline really high. You can’t stay calm in that moment.

SHREEVES: Did you have to pinch yourself after scoring the winning goal in the derby?

RASHFORD: In the games before the derby, I hadn’t scored any goals but there were opportunities to score goals. Everyone was telling me to stay calm because everyone goes through a little period where they don’t score goals in two or three matches. So that’s what …

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