THE HIDDEN SIDE TO MARCUS RASHFORD'S RISE

THE HIDDEN SIDE TO MARCUS RASHFORD'S RISE

Head of Academy Nicky Butt has explained there is a hidden side to life in the Manchester United first team that the club ensures players like Marcus Rashford can handle.

The England striker enjoyed a meteoric rise in 2016, scoring twice on his senior debut against Midtjylland, and has carried that form on ever since, becoming a regular for club and country.
Nobody made more appearances for United last term than the teenager, who turns 20 on Halloween, and he was shortlisted for September's Player-of-the-Month prize. Yet Rashford has had to learn about off-the-field aspects that are currently being taught to the Academy youngsters at an early age. 
"If a young boy like Marcus, all of a sudden, jumps onto the scene at 18, he has all these things going on," Butt told MUTV. "The analysis work you have got to do, watching videos, you have to do your recovery with the sports science team.
"It's about how to cope with down time too as there is a lot of travelling and time spent in hotels. It's about having a coping mechanism.
"It is all new to them and it can be eye-opening. It's hard enough purely at the first-team football level but they've got all this stuff they have got to deal with. They must get their mind in gear as well and it's hard. They need to do little bits along the way so by the time they do get in the first team, it's all higher up.
"But the more they get into it, the impact and input of different aspects of the club, makes the transition a lot easier."
Rashford has cemented a place in the first-team squad and has clearly impressed manager Jose Mourinho. And others will hope to follow his lead as the season unfolds.
"It's always great seeing a youngster come through the Academy and make his debut," added Butt. "But it's just the start for them. The easy part is getting there, the hard part is staying there."