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Coach explains what everyone gets wrong about Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford
If every you hear Marcus Rashford’s commitment brought into question again, just direct their attention to the words of Ryan Hopper.
Instead of merely assuming a footballer’s mentality based on whatever agenda is floating around social media that week, perhaps it’s more appropriate to sit down, shut up, and listen to those who have worked with that player in question first-hand.
Marcus Rashford, given a fortnight off after being left out of the latest England squad, certainly used his time away from the pitch wisely.
Manchester United’s number ten hired a personal coach in the aforementioned Hopper, per The Sun, in an attempt to get his season up and running.
And with a few select clips starting to do the rounds online – showing a lean and focused Rashford firing off shots at all angles and into all corners – Hopper is keen to point out that a lot more work was done away from prying eyes and camera lenses.
Marcus Rashford goes the extra mile for Manchester United
“Marcus’ team reached out to me. Marcus obviously wasn’t in the England squad, so they reached out to me. They wanted to do extra work,” Hopper tells the Stretford Paddock on their official YouTube channel.
“We certainly got the work in.”
Hopper, a former United academy kit like Rashford himself, has made quite the name for himself as a coach renowned for his tailored, personalised sessions.
The 30-year-old has worked with Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Anthony Elanga too, while also playing a key role in the rise of one Kai Rooney.
And Hopper can confirm, having struck up a fine working relationship with Rashford, that the media misconceptions could hardly be further from the truth.
“Quite a lot of people have this impression of Marcus. I can tell you, it is far from what people think,” Hopper adds. “He loves football, he loves to train. And that’s all it was. He wanted to do extras. He wanted to work hard and he really loves the game.
“You can see that in the way he trains, the way he has conversations, the way he goes through the details.
“I was having some conversations with him about technique and all sorts of stuff and, again, (it was) an absolute pleasure.
“Marcus was brilliant, honestly, like all the other lads were. He was going into detail about how his technique is different to other people’s technique, so one thing might work for them but it might not work for him.
“He was going into all sorts of stuff. It was amazing. A great experience and, on a social level, he was an absolute pleasure.”
Carrington kid hoping to open his account at Southampton
Whether his hard work pays off remains to be seen.
Manchester United face Southampton on Saturday lunchtime. And, after successive Premier League defeats, this would be a pretty good time for Rashford to open his account for the new campaign at the fifth attempt.
While plenty of criticism has come the way of Rashford over the last year and a bit – even Wayne Rooney expressing his concerns – Hopper is also keen to point out the flaw the laying the blame at the door of a single player.
Especially when an entire team is struggling for form.
“It’s a team game at the end of the day as well,” he says. “A lot of people can throw shade at individuals but its a collective. You win together and you lose together.
“The fact that Marcus has put in the the extra graft is testament to his character. He wants to be the best.
“Believe me, no stones were left unturned and he really worked hard on the fitness element, putting the extra hard yards in his running, in his finishing, in the technical stuff, the little details, everything
“I must stress the love of the game that Marcus has. He wants to train, he wants to work hard, he wants to be the best he can be.”
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