Most Valuable Person

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/06/2020 (2267 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Back in January, after suffering a double stress fracture in his back during an FA Cup match against Wolves, Marcus Rashford thought his season was over. He’d be out of the Manchester United lineup for at least three months, the doctors said, but if he put in the work and his body responded to an aggressive recovery regimen he just might be fit to represent England at EURO 2020.

Well, he won’t be at the Euros. No one will be. The novel coronavirus saw to that, although the Premier League’s 15-week hiatus did present the striker with an unlikely opportunity.

On Friday, when United restart their season at Tottenham Hotspur, Rashford, now fully recovered, will be in the squad as the Red Devils attempt to chase down Chelsea for the final Champions League position. If he can rediscover the scintillating form that saw him score seven goals in eight matches before being sidelined, a third-place finish is a distinct possibility.

But even if he weren’t to score another goal this season, the 22-year-old would nevertheless complete the campaign as the English top flight’s MVP: Most Valuable Person.

The disappointment of his injury behind him, Rashford essentially made his comeback as COVID-19 began to devastate the United Kingdom in March.

With school children confined to their homes, he hosted virtual training sessions for young United fans. As his country’s government delivered half-hearted and contradictory public health directives, he took part in the #StayHomeSaveLives initiative. When a lack of funding for the National Health Service — the result of years of Tory austerity — threatened to overwhelm British hospitals, he helped organize an action group of Premier League players to set up a fundraising scheme. He and tennis star Andy Murray surprised a nurse with a video call.

Most notably was, and is, his partnership with FareShare — a charity that ensures some of the U.K.’s most vulnerable families don’t go without food.

Initially taken aback by the lack of food security in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Rashford endeavoured to raise £20 million for a cause he quickly made his own. That goal was reached on Thursday, and as a result three million Britons will receive meals. It’s the most important goal he’ll ever score.

And he’s only getting started. Earlier this week he reached out on Twitter to the government minister in charge of the food voucher program. He has since vowed that he’ll “keep fighting until no child in the U.K. has to worry about where their next meal is coming from.” It should surprise nobody that he has also lent his voice to the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

What is surprising is the overwhelming goodwill and genuine inspiration Rashford’s humanitarian work has stirred. Sure, people are more desperate than ever for feel-good stories and figures of encouragement and leadership, particularly given an embarrassing lack of both from 10 Downing Street. But such has been the young footballer’s impact that he has well near overshadowed next week’s Premier League resumption.

When he does finally take the field at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he’ll rejoin a United team buoyed by the playmaking skills of January acquisition Bruno Fernandes and reinforced by Paul Pogba’s own return from a serious ankle injury. It could well end up being a rather pleasant summer at Old Trafford.

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Rashford, however, doesn’t need the football to make him a champion. However many goals he scores over what promises to be an outstanding career, and no matter the titles he wins with both United and England, he will always be remembered for stepping up when he was needed, for lending a hand and being a friend, and for quite literally providing a means of sustenance for millions.

The world of sports, and the world in general, could use more Marcus Rashfords.

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Twitter @JerradPeters