June 14th 2023.
Marcus Rashford is due to link up with Jack Grealish on England duty this week and the Manchester United star has conceded that he struggled to watch his rivals, Manchester City, celebrate their historic treble triumph last weekend. Pep Guardiola's relentless side had finally added the Champions League trophy to their silverware collection following a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul, achieving a feat equal to that of Sir Alex Ferguson's class of 1999.
Rashford is set to be joined by fellow England players Kyle Walker and Phil Foden this week, and there's sure to be some friendly banter about City's success. The United star admits he is envious of their achievement but warned his own teammates and rivals that Guardiola's side are unlikely to slow down in their pursuit of total domestic and European domination.
"To be honest, it's not nice but at the same time it's football," Rashford said. "The best team that's consistently playing the best football is going to win the most trophies and they've managed to win three this year. Well done to them and we just move on now and it's up to them to keep it up, and it's up to the rest of us to try and catch them up."
The domestic season ended in heartache for Rashford as Manchester United were beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup final. When asked if City's achievements provide extra motivation, United's homegrown star said: "Yeah, 100 per cent."
Now, attention has shifted to international matters, with Rashford having made an incredible 61 appearances for club and country in an unprecedented campaign. He could reach 63 if he plays against Malta and at Old Trafford against North Macedonia on Monday, a qualifier just 23 days before United's first pre-season match.
On the need for football calendars to be looked at, Rashford said: "I think that's evident. It's mad that at club level we're playing against teams that are playing one game a week, and we're playing three games a week from November up until we got knocked out of Europa League. It's difficult but at the same time we're used to doing it, but I don't think it's right."
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