(Reuters) – Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is about to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester for his crusade for young people in need, the Premier League club announced Wednesday.
Rashford earned praise after the English striker campaigned for school food checks to be provided during the summer holidays in Britain, revealing that he had relied on that help as a child. [nL8N2DT3R8]
The 22-year-old will enroll in the big clubs Alex Ferguson and Bobthrough Charlton to earn the honorary doctorate, the highest honor given by the university.
“It’s a day of pride for me and my family. When you look at the big names that have earned this PhD in the past, it’s humiliating,” Rashford said on United’s website.
“We still have a lot to go through in the fight against child poverty in this country, however, getting popularity from your city means we’re going in the right direction. Array… means a lot.”
Rashford had also helped raise around 20 million pounds with fareshare UK to provide food to families struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
United director Ole Gunnar Solskjaer later told reporters that he was proud of Rashford and described him as “a wonderful user and a human being.”
“He cares much more about others than for himself. I’m very proud of him and I hope he can keep his personality for the rest of his life and be himself,” Solskjaer said.
Reporting through Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Alex Richardson
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