Marcus Rashford has rightly hit back at those who try brush all the good he does under the carpet by wanting him to “stick to football” and has vowed to continue his fight to end child food poverty in the UK.
The Manchester United star is currently recovering from an operation and has yet to feature this season.
Away from football, he has waged a high-profile campaign to eradicate child hunger in the UK, including a successful push to force a Government U-turn to ensure vulnerable children received free meals during the summer holidays.
The caring and brave 23-year-old is worthy of hero status, and those knocking his generous gestures appear to want society to struggle more.
“Disappointingly for some, the ‘stick to football’ advice doesn’t cut it where I’m from,” Rashford wrote in The Spectator.
“See, when my community had nothing to call their own, they always found something in the way of kindness to give me.
“I am a product of their compassion, of their drive and of their willingness to offer me more than what was on my doorstep.
“I’d be doing that community and my family a disservice if I did not use my platform to speak on behalf of the millions whose voices are not being heard.”
Rashford adds that much more needs to be done to eradicate child hunger in the UK – and that his focus is on more than getting back on the pitch in a United shirt.
“Party politics has never interested me. What interests me is working together to find sustainable solutions,” Rashford added.
“The long-term effects of a global pandemic will not be resolved with short-term relief packages.
“So it’s time for us all to unite with the passion we saw during the Euros and make sure every child in this country is given a fair chance, and that child hunger is eradicated.
“No child should be starting 20 yards behind any other just because of the community they live in. It’s time to level up.”
Rashford can’t do it all by himself but he if he could, I’m sure he would.
