In full: Rashford's Melbourne press conference
Every pre-season game - including Melbourne Victory (11:05 BST Friday 15 July) - will be shown live on MUTV, now available in our app and on ManUtd.com.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford joined Erik ten Hag for a pre-match press conference in the early hours of Wednesday morning (UK time).
Marcus, who put in a lively performance during our Tour 2022 opener against Liverpool on Tuesday, was alongside the boss to answer questions from the Australian and world media ahead of our next pre-season outing.
That comes against Melbourne Victory at the MCG on Friday, where the Reds will be hoping to continue building up minutes on the pitch prior to the new campaign.
In the countdown to our meeting with the A-League side, Rashford was asked about the personal benefits of a full pre-season, our upcoming opponents, Ten Hag’s early impact and more.
You can see everything our no.10 said below, in full…
Press conference in full | United v Victory
Erik ten Hag and Marcus Rashford spoke to the media at Melbourne's AAMI Park, ahead of our second tour game...
What have you seen of the Australian league and what can you tell us about your experience of playing against Australian players previously?
"Yes, it's been an amazing experience. It's not often that we get the opportunity to play against players and teams from Australia so it's always tough because it's unexpected for us. We have to approach the game with the right mentality, the right mindset and like the boss said, try to win the game. Hopefully we do that."
Do you know much about the MCG and Melbourne, the sporting nature of the city, how much we love our sports? And what are your thoughts going to be when you walk out in front of 70,000 at the MCG?
"We spoke a little bit about it before. It's going to be an amazing experience, a massive opportunity for us to perform against a team that we don't know much about so it's going to be unexpected to us. And also, to perform in front of fans that we don't get the opportunity to do so throughout the season. All of the players are looking forward to it and hopefully we give a good account of ourselves."
What's your psyche for games like this one because it's something different to the grind of the Premier League season? Do you get to enjoy these trips and how do you approach these games other than trying to get everything right on the field?
"I think that's a massive part of it. When you're travelling a lot and training hard, the game at the end is the thing that you're looking forward to. So, I think it's definitely something to enjoy. And we can always take these experiences that we get from different places around the world and implement it in our games and I think it will be a big positive for us."
A lot has been written about your form for club and country over the past year. You've got a new manager now, so what can Erik ten Hag do for you?
"I think we can do a lot together. For me, it's a fresh start and something I'm looking forward to. I think the first two and a half weeks of training have been good, we're a lot fitter than we were last season and also, we're making mistakes along the way, so we have a lot of room for improvement. I'm in a good place right now and I'm looking forward to getting more games under my belt and getting ready for the season."
Rashford: I feel a lot better
ArticleMarcus is already feeling the benefits of an extended break and proper pre-season.
"I think it's been a bit unnatural for me to have such a long break in the summer, I had just under four weeks. So, I had a long break physically and mentally as well. So, it's an opportunity to refresh and get ready to go again. It's always the case every season, whether you win or lose, so I just used that opportunity to do what I've always done and just refocus."
How much do you think you will benefit from having a full pre-season?
"Massively. I think This is the first year I've been with the team from the beginning and to be honest, I already feel a lot better than usual when you go away for the internationals and come back midway through the pre-season. So, like I said, it's important for me to get a fresh start and I've been given that opportunity. I feel fresh and I feel ready."
Marcus, this coming game is the first pre-season game for Melbourne Victory which means we might see a few of their youngsters, a lot of whom will have idolised Manchester United growing up and idolised yourself. Is that something you're aware of when you're playing these games, that these kids grew up with your poster on their wall?
"I think as a player, and for me as an individual, it's about doing your work on the pitch. We've got a lot of things to work on and a lot of messages that we need to follow so it's about being focused and trying to give the best version of yourself on matchday. Whether or not that comes, it's something to build on and improve on so we're going to use our time on pre-season as a whole to get to the best version of each other individually and as a team. And yes, if we do that, we'll be ready to start the season."
"To be honest, the training schedule has been tough, so a lot of our downtime is rest and recovery. That's the life that we live, and you learn to enjoy it – there's a bit of banter in the hotel and stuff like that. Everyone's really focused and when we have time to enjoy ourselves, we will do."
In terms of your form, you've obviously generated a lot of positive headlines throughout your career, but maybe in the last 12 months, there's been the first negative stuff you've had to deal with. Has that affected your confidence and how have people around you supported you? Clearly you have all the abilities, it's just about bringing it out of yourself...
"For me, I always say it's a lot easier to make mistakes in a team that's winning. We won the last game against Liverpool, but we made a lot of mistakes, so it gives us a huge space for improvement. Individually it's the same thing. If you make mistakes in a winning team, it's a lot easier to come back and improve. When you're losing, it's difficult because we're all sportsmen and we don't like to lose so we have to just refocus and try our best to win the next game."
The negativity surrounding the whole club last season sucks everything into it almost?
"It's part of it but it's not an excuse. It's a big club that we play for, and we're expected to win as we should do. So, we just have to work really hard to improve. Next season, the first game of the season is the first opportunity that we have, so we do all this hard work now and try to win as many games as possible and when it comes to the season, we're ready to give everything."