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Jürgen Klopp has praised Marcus Rashford for showing the kind of leadership that the UK government is not providing with its “absolutely incredible” campaign of free school meals. The Liverpool manager joked that it was “difficult” to speak highly of the 22-year-old English forward because he plays for archrival Manchester United.
Rashford has been running a high-profile campaign to ensure the nation’s poorest children don’t go hungry outside of school term, and she received an MBE earlier this month for her work.
Earlier this week, the government voted against a Labor motion to extend the plan, leaving Rashford to pledge to continue the fight, backed by many celebrities and politicians.
Klopp said: “I’m not sure I can come up with better words than much smarter people have said, but what Marcus has started there is absolutely incredible, it’s so nice. And with all the rivalry between the clubs, right now we are as footballers and as human beings always united.
“It’s nice to show at a time when obviously a lot of people who are really in charge of something and show no signs of proper leadership, that a child who grew up in difficult circumstances and was blessed with sensational talent obviously never forgot his roots and where it comes from, it has to.
“It’s a bit embarrassing that I have to do it, but it’s also wonderful. I hope his mother is really proud of him. I don’t know him, but even I am proud of him. And he plays for United, which makes it really tough!
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“That shows that football can be really wonderful at times and shows that the issue is really very serious and that is why everyone puts rivalry aside and thinks about the most important things in life. So I am very happy that Liverpool can show this solidarity at this time. Now he’s a role model for that and he’s really cool and it won’t distract him from his football stuff. “
