Marcus Rashford reveals he played through pain for 11 months as Manchester United forward nears return

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Marcus Rashford has revealed he played through pain for the entirety of last season as the Manchester United and England forward prepares to make his comeback following shoulder surgery.

The 23-year-old said he had managed his shoulder injury from September last year and didn’t undergo surgery until after the European Championship this summer.

Including the Euros, Rashford played 65 matches for club and country last season and put off the surgery to avoid a lengthy lay-off. Rashford said the pain from his shoulder got worse over the campaign and he has been sidelined since undergoing the procedure in August.

Rashford has returned to full contract training with United and scored twice in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Blackburn Rovers last week.

The England international told the BBC: “My recovery is - I wouldn’t say coming to an end because obviously I have to keep looking after it - but I’m in a much better place physically and mentally.

“Last year was a very long season for me, I got this injury at the end of September and gradually it got that little bit worse, but now I’m fully free of that, I feel much better physically and mentally.”

Rashford’s last competitive appearance was the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy in July, in which he missed a penalty and was targeted with racist abuse after the match along with Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.

He confirmed he could return for Manchester United’s tricky run of fixtures in October and November, with matches against Leicester, Liverpool, Atalanta, Tottenham and Manchester City to come, saying: “I feel ready to be back on the pitch. So yes, I‘m just looking forward to the next slot of games, it’s a busy schedule.”