Manchester United superstar forward Marcus Rashford has reportedly sent out a message of encouragement to the club’s youth academy players after their seasons were shut down on Friday due to the spread of the coronavirus in the UK.
Earlier on Friday, the English top-flight announced that all clubs agreed to cancel this season’s academy programme will be cancelled amid the spread of the deadly bug that has claimed the lives of over 28,400 people in the UK. This meant that the cancellation of the Premier League with levels from Under-23 all the way up to Under-9 was forced to shut down.
However, the unfortunate outcome had a silver lining as English attacker Marcus Rashford revealed that players should get creative following the cancellation of their respective leagues. An academy graduate himself, Rashford has grown to become a key player for both club and country over the recent past.
The 22-year-old striker took to Twitter to reveal his emotions and sympathy for the Man United youth players but also explained that they should use this spare time to get more creative.
Rashford wrote, “The news you got yesterday was probably not what you wanted to hear, I know all you want to do is play because I’m the same but the decision has been made to protect everyone involved. This is bigger than football. You might be feeling a bit low but the best thing you can do is pick up your ball and get out in the garden.”
Rashford then revealed that he would do the same when he was a youngster in the academy and would practice getting his accuracy with a football, “When I was in the academy I used to find a spot in the garden and aim for targets just so I could practice my accuracy, get creative!. Now is not the time to fall out of love with the game, it’s a time to remember why you fell in love with it in the first place. You’ve got this and we can’t wait to see you all back next season.”
