Vital that new signings fit within Man Utd ethos, says Marcus Rashford

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 19 May 2021 11:07 BST
• 2 min read

Marcus Rashford believes that Manchester United create at winning atmosphere at the club from when players are a young age, and insists that players who come into the club need to match that ethos.

The England international has been with the Red Devils since he was a child, and has came through the ranks to become one of their most key players.

In a conversation with team-mate Dean Henderson, the pair reflected on their time together both in the youth set up and the first team, with Henderson arriving at an older age.

When Rashford scored his debut goal for Man Utd in a Europa League game against FC Midtjylland, he spotted Henderson in the group and made a run towards him for the celebration.

“You were in the crowd,” Rashford reflected, addressing Henderson.

“The Academy get particular seats and they’d just moved you. They used to be high up, the tickets, but not long after I started training with the first team the seats moved to the Family Stand.

“I just knew that there were people there and as I was running I just saw you and you grabbed me! [Laughs] Great memories. That’s probably the bit I remember the most. I remember the goals and stuff and how they happened, but other than that I don’t really remember the game itself.

“I just remember certain moments.”

The Man Utd way

Rashford joined the Man Utd academy when he was seven, while Henderson was 14, and the former has praised his team-mate for quickly buying into the mentality within the club.

“All the way, it [the United way] is ingrained into you and that’s how you know if someone can play for United,” Rashford explained.

“You [Henderson], for example, when you came in, you found it dead easy to just settle in and you understood what the club stands for and what it meant and, for me, that’s a big sign when we sign young players – they have to be able to fit in to what United is.

“For me, it was just about them ingraining it into me from very young. For yourself, it’s a bit different because you came into it and had to adapt, but you did.

“We all wanted to win. The environment here creates winners.

“That strong bond is probably why a lot of our age group have made their debut here and are still at the club here, or they have gone to do well at other clubs. It’s about that togetherness [growing up].”

The 23-year-old has received just as much praise for his exploits off the pitch as on it over the past year or so, having taken on the government requesting that free school meals be extended for deprived children over the summer break during the pandemic.

His philanthropic efforts have been him awarded a MBE.