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Marcus Rashford: I watched Man City’s Treble triumph – but couldn’t stomach them lifting the trophy
Manchester City emulated Manchester United's 1999 trophy treble with victory in the Champions League final against Inter Milan
Once the final whistle was blown on Manchester City’s Champions League triumph that completed their treble, Marcus Rashford did not need to see any more. The television went off.
Manchester United forward Rashford will have been happy to have been at England’s St George’s Park training camp, hidden away in the Burton-on-Trent countryside, when his hometown was bathed in blue on Monday.
The boyhood United fan, who scored 30 goals for his club this season, is not bitter and promised he would congratulate his England team-mates who play for City when they joined Gareth Southgate’s squad on Tuesday night.
But seeing City lift the trophy that equalled United’s 1999 treble or watching the celebrations that followed would have been a step too far.
“I watched the game at a friend’s house,” said Rashford. “I like watching football, especially the best games and that is what I did. But after that I didn’t need to watch them celebrating, it was TV off.”
Asked if he had managed to block out the City celebrations and trophy parade in Manchester, Rashford added: “For me, yeah because I am here with the national team. I don’t want to be worrying about what is going on in Manchester.”
Rashford was part of the United team who City beat in the FA Cup final on the way to their treble and conceded the onus is now on the Old Trafford club to close the gap on their rivals.
“It’s not nice, but it’s football,” said Rashford. “The best team that has consistently been playing the best football is going to win the most trophies. They have managed to win three this year and well done to them, and we just move on now. It is up to the rest of us to catch them up.”
“Congratulations to them and for me they deserved it, they played the best football this year. There is not much more to say. The talking is done on the pitch and they did really well this year.”
Rashford revealed that there was a short post-FA Cup final inquest inside Wembley before the United players went their separate ways for the summer.
“We had a short talk in the dressing room and maybe have to dust ourselves down and get ready for next season,” said Rashford. “We don’t have time to dwell on it because we can’t change it. We gave 100 per cent on the pitch and it is easier to move on when you gave everything on the pitch. We move on and prepare for next season.”
Asked if City’s success gives him extra motivation, Rashford replied: “Yes.” He added: “That was always the aim [to be at the top with United] regardless of their [City’s] success this year or the previous years.