Marcus Rashford isn’t satisfied with recent talk of an upswing in Manchester United’s performances. He’s got his heart set on bigger things.
His hope? “To win the World Cup, and for Man United to win the Champions League." So, not aiming too high, then.
“As long as the team is successful and we get back to winning titles and trophies, that’s the main thing for me,” he told the April issue of FourFourTwo, available in shops from Thursday, March 5.
The forward believes there is complete unity over the club's ambitions at Old Trafford. “That’s something we all share, every Man United fan: to get those moments back.”
For the fiercely ambitious 22 year-old, great results are only worth celebrating if they mean something later down the line. Take the dramatic comeback victory over PSG in last season’s Champions League last-16, for example, in which Rashford scored a late penalty to send the Red Devils through to the last eight.
“We didn’t go on to win the competition or reach the final,” he says. “So, in my mind, it doesn’t stand for anything. We need to start showing signs that we can be the United of old. Football has changed a lot, so it’s not going to be exactly the same, but we know the club can do it. It’s been difficult, but it’s a period of transition. As long as we stay focused, I don’t see why we can’t turn things around and really improve.”
Whether or not Rashford wins the Champions League, he has the potential to become a club legend in the years ahead. “That’s always the aim,” he insists. “You grow up around so many people who have that United legend status that it becomes part of your dream. When you dream of playing for Man United, you don’t only dream of making your debut; you dream of being like Beckham, Scholes and Giggs. It’s part of the dream as an academy lad.”
Rashford was on course for a best ever season before being cruelly sidelined with a back injury against Wolves on February 1, having scored 19 goals in 31 appearances.
Read the full interview with Marcus Rashford in the April 2020 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, out in shops and available digitally from Thursday March 5. Our new magazine reveals the stars of the decade – the 50 wonderkids who'll rule the next 10 years, with an exclusive interview with Marcus Rashford, Vinicius Jr, Gabriel Martinelli, Ruben Neves, and Reece and Lauren James – as well as profiles of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kylian Mbappe. We also chat to Steve Clarke and Mick McCarthy and Scotland and Ireland in the Euro 2020 playoffs, revisit the last time Liverpool won the league, and chat to Nobby Solano, Yakubu and Wes Brown about their careers.
