MARCUS RASHFORD will become the youngest person to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester.

The Manchester United player will be awarded the accolade for his tireless work campaigning against child and food poverty.

He will follow in the footsteps of the club’s greats Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton who also received the honour from the university.

Rashford said it was a “proud day” for both him and his family, adding it was “very humbling” to be awarded the same doctorate that had been bestowed on “great names.”

He said: “We still have a long way to go in the fight to combat child poverty in this country, but receiving recognition from your city means we are heading in the right direction and that means a lot. Thank you to The University of Manchester.”

Man Utd ‘incredibly proud’

The University of Manchester hailed the footballer as an “extraordinary young man” whose talent and drive stretched “well beyond the pitch”.

Its president Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said: “His work for charity and his high-profile campaign will not only help countless young people across our own city, but across the entire country.”

A Manchester United spokesman said: “Marcus is an exceptional player and an exceptional person. His work with FareShare and his focus on child poverty make him richly deserving of this tremendous honour and everyone at Manchester United is incredibly proud of him.”

Club manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he was proud of the player, describing him as a “great person and great human being”.

He added: “He cares about so much more than himself and the work he’s done shows he cares so much more about others than himself.

“So, very proud of him and hopefully he’ll keep his personality for the rest of his life, just keep on being yourself.”

Teaming up with FareShare

The 22-year-old teamed up with poverty and food waste charity FareShare during the COVID-19 pandemic to help raise £20 million.

The campaign ensured 3.9 million meals could be distributed to the less fortunate each week throughout lockdown.

Rashford last month also pushed the government to do a U-turn on its decision to end free meals for school children throughout the summer.