Rashford could be first Man Utd player to get Anfield ovation! – Robertson

Marcus Rashford’s charity work might see him become the first Manchester United player to get a round of applause at Anfield, said Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.

United attacker Rashford successfully lobbied to have the free school meal voucher scheme extended to help families hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with the United Kingdom government making a U-turn and agreeing to cover the summer months.

The England international also partnered with charity FareShare and helped raise £20million to provide free meals to vulnerable families, before setting up a task force with a group of supermarkets, businesses and charities to call on the government to ease child food poverty in the UK.

Robertson has started the AR26 charity to help underprivileged kids and released a book about Liverpool’s historic Premier League title triumph last season to raise funds for it.

The Scotland captain was irked by health secretary Matt Hancock calling on footballers to “take a pay cut and play their part” during the early stages of lockdown and thinks Rashford’s accomplishments should be applauded by fans across the country.

“In the lockdown period I decided to set up my own charity, AR26, which is going to help underprivileged kids, which is really important to me,” Robertson told Sky Sports News.

“I have a football academy already up in Glasgow which is going to now not exist and come under the charity, so we’re hoping to provide football and potentially other sports up for hopefully free up and down the country and get kids playing sport and staying active.

“I was watching the TV when Matt Hancock said what he said during lockdown and I couldn’t believe it, and then a couple weeks later Marcus Rashford does what he does. And to be honest what he did was remarkable, he got something overturned in government, which doesn’t happen for footballers very often. He’s an absolute inspiration to all of us.

“I hope that when fans are allowed back into the grounds that that man gets a standing ovation off every fan, because what he’s done to provide food for kids that might not get it is an absolute inspiration.

“He might just be the first Man United player to get a round of applause at Anfield! Let’s see if that happens, but he certainly deserves it and all the plaudits he gets because what he did was phenomenal.”

The greater the platform, the louder the voice…

Welcome to the Task Force @McDonaldsUK

#ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY

— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) September 18, 2020

The Players Together initiative to help generate funds for the NHS, which Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson spearheaded, was launched by Premier League players shortly after Hancock’s comments sparked widespread debate.

“Hendo and all the other captains ended up raising a fund for the NHS, who are the real heroes in all this, who fought the pandemic when a lot of us hid away from it,” said Robertson.

“Hendo was the driving force behind that. These things were all bubbling away when Matt Hancock called us out, and it felt as if we were probably getting attacked when other industries, other sports people were getting attacked.

“It didn’t sit right with me and it didn’t sit right with many footballers because I believe we’re all very active in what we do and try and help, whether it’s family that maybe need charity or it’s proper charities.

“I believe we’re all active and I felt it was a wee bit harsh what he said.”