Marcus Rashford's mother reveals tragic death of Man Utd star's cousin 'set him back a lot' this season and warns him about 'wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing' after Belfast nightclub controversy

England international Rashford reached 30 goals for the first time in his career last term, but has found the target just eight times in the current campaign. Questions have been asked of his contribution on the back of signing a lucrative new contract, while unfortunate headlines were made off the field during a recent trip to Belfast that landed him in disciplinary trouble at Old Trafford.

Rashford’s mother, Melania Maynard, has told The Times of reasons for her son’s struggles in 2023-24: “The Queen awarded him an MBE for his work. 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.”

She added on the need for Rashford to be wary of those around him: “Marcus is human, so he will have ups and downs in his life like everyone else. 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. After a good win against Liverpool on Sunday and Marcus’s England call-up, things are looking bright again.”

Rashford recently addressed the criticism that has come his way in an article for The Players Tribune, writing: “Listen, I'm not a perfect person. When I make a mistake, I'll be the first one to put my hand up and say I need to do better. But if you ever question my commitment to Man United, that's when I have to speak up. It's like somebody questioning my entire identity and everything I stand for. I grew up here. I have played for this club since I was a boy. My family turned down life-changing money when I was a kid so I could wear this badge. Football can be a bubble. I have tried to stay a normal person, keep my same friends. I have tried my best not to change, even when I'm on a night out or on holiday. But there's another side to that. I'm a human being. I've made mistakes a lot of lads in their 20s make, and I've tried to learn from them. But I've also made sacrifices nobody sees.”

Rashford was on target for United in their thrilling FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool and will be looking to take confidence from that strike into friendly outings for Euro 2024-bound England against Brazil and Belgium.