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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tells Marcus Rashford to ‘focus on football’ ahead of Man Utd comeback against Leicester

The 23-year-old was awarded an honorary degree from Manchester University last week for his social welfare efforts over the past 18 months

Marcus Rashford returns to the Manchester United side at Leicester on Saturday with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer advising his popular young striker to concentrate on football despite his deserved acclaim for issues away from the game.

The 23-year-old England international has earned widespread praise for his actions over the past 18 months covering a wide range of social issues. Most prominently, during the 2020 lockdown, Rashford took on and forced the Government to overturn a decision that would have limited free school dinners for impoverished children.

But the period coincided with a difficult, injury-ravaged season for Rashford who underwent surgery on a persistent shoulder injury at the start of the current campaign.

He will be available for Solskjaer this weekend, and likely to come off the substitutes’ bench, with his manager suggesting that he should concentrate on footballing matters for the time being.

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“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 and he is getting more experienced.

“He has time to reflect on what he has done off the pitch as well because he has done some fantastic things and now maybe prioritise his football and focus on football because he’s got a challenge on his hands here at Man 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 and is going to. He is going to express himself and his talent and 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.”

Injuries limited Rashford’s effectiveness last season, and his role in England’s Euros campaign, and he returns to a United squad that added Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo to its roster of forward talent this summer.

But Solskjaer expects great things from the fit-again Rashford and wants to see him enjoying his football once more.

“He does look fresh,” said Solskjaer. “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 and at such a young age, he’s done so much for the team and he’s done so much off the pitch as well.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 07: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United poses with Sir Alex Ferguson after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester at Old Trafford on October 07, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Tom Purslow/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Rashford received an honorary degree from the University of Manchester last week (Photo: Getty)

“I think that the time away for him was the time maybe to focus on himself and – I don’t want to say get back to being himself – but you know, Marcus Rushford 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 here, Mason’s grown, Cristiano is here. I 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.”

United will be without injured central defenders Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire at Leicester, with Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly poised to deputise, while Fred and Edinson Cavani will be rested after returning late from international duty in South America.

The United manager attracted criticism at leaving Ronaldo out of the recent disappointing draw with Everton, including private comments from his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson who questioned the decision.

“I’m quite relaxed about it but of course it’s not really fair on the gaffer that something like this gets broadcast,” said Solskjaer.

“I disagreed with the gaffer quite a few times and I told my wife quite a few times that I disagreed with him but that never made headlines as a player.

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“I’m sure Sir Alex knows that it doesn’t bother me. We all want to see Cristiano. We all want to, because he’s unique, he’s different, he’s had a career and everyone wants to come and watch him.

“But the plain fact of it is he cannot play every single game that we play, that’s just physical nature, human nature. But he knows how difficult this job is anyway, the gaffer.

“He didn’t always play the same XI. He took some risks at times to rest Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney or David Beckham, the best players that we had. Sometimes it works, sometimes it didn’t.”

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