Sir Alex Ferguson pledges £2million to Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child food poverty

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised Marcus Rashford’s efforts to tackle child poverty and has pledged up to £2million to the cause. 

Alongside his MBE and now making the government U-turn twice on their decision to provide free school meals, Marcus Rashford now has the support of the former United boss. 

Ferguson told the Times: “You have to be shocked at the number of people in need of food. Marcus has opened the eyes of everyone in Britain. The work he’s done has been fantastic and we’re all so proud of him because of that.

“He’s led the way — people will say, ‘That boy he’s only 23’. People in their later ages…should be saying, ‘I can do something’.”

Rashford made his debut at United at the age of 18, three years after Ferguson retired.

Ferguson added: “He should be giving me some advice because what he’s doing at 23 is fantastic for a young person.

“I’ve no need to tell Marcus because I think there’s humility in the way he lives his life. His feet are on the ground.

“These are great qualities to carry you through life. Football hasn’t changed him. There is a danger in football that it can change people, money can change people, stardom can change people.

“Getting a celebrity position in life can sometimes be a problem because not everyone can carry success well. And at the moment Marcus is doing that very, very well.”