Melanie Maynard, Marcus Rashford’s mother, has shared insights into her son’s recent challenges, highlighting how the deaths of two individuals close to him deeply affected him and cautioning him about the intentions of those around him.
In a personal reflection published on Monday, Maynard revealed that her son struggled to cope with the loss of his cousin Nathan last year, which compounded the grief from the passing of a cherished family friend, Garf, in 2022.
Marcus Rashford’s struggles and support from mum
Rashford has faced criticism for his performances with Manchester United this season, and he received backlash for indulging in a 12-hour tequila spree in Belfast in January.
Ms. Maynard has come to Rashford’s defense, stating that the sorrow he has experienced has been a factor in his struggles both on and off the field.
”The Queen awarded him an MBE for his work,’ she wrote in The Times.
”After all of this, Marcus worked hard to achieve a new contract at his boyhood club. ‘He loves United. Marcus produced an unbelievable performance last season, scoring 30 goals and 11 assists, to warrant a new contract.
”After that, Marcus lost a second very important person in his life: his cousin Nathan in November, after a very good family friend, Garf, had died a year earlier, which set him back a lot. It was a lot for someone so young to deal with.”
Marcus Rashford’s mom warns him of people’s intentions
Ms. Maynard also cautioned her son about the risks associated with the intentions of others, particularly following the incident in Belfast where he was reported to have consumed shots and cocktails before passing out fully clothed at 3am.
”Marcus is human, so he will have ups and downs in his life like everyone else,” she added.
”Marcus is in a very good place, he will never let anyone down. But you always need to be wary of people’s intentions around you—sometimes people around you can be wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing.”, she said.
Meanwhile, Sports Buddy reported in recent news that England manager Gareth Southgate issued a cautionary message to Rashford, stressing the need for him to “battle” and demonstrate hard work to earn his spot in the squad for the Euro 2024 tournament.
