Marcus Rashford declares Man Utd’s Liverpool motivation ahead of new season

Marcus Rashford has fired a warning at Liverpool on the eve of the new season, claiming Manchester United are desparate to close the gap on their arch-rivals.

The Red Devils were plagued by inconsistency in the 2019/20 campaign, drawing 12 games and losing eight on their way to a third-place finish in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, the Reds dropped points just six times on their cruise to a first league title in 30 years and ended the season a whole 33 points ahead of United.

But Carrington academy product and boyhood United fan Rashford is determined to set things right and is motivated to finish nearer Liverpool and local rivals Manchester City.

“I think that’s natural for anyone who plays for the club or anyone who’s from Manchester,” Rashford told the PA News agency. “We have to use all that as motivation to keep improving as a team.

“But we can’t lose sight of what’s important, and that’s our own team’s development and to keep improving. You can find yourself sometimes looking too much elsewhere, but we play our best and we improve most when we concentrate on ourselves as individuals and as a team.

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“The manager always wants us to do that and that’s the best way to do it.”

United have not won the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out in style at the conclusion of the 2012/13 season.

The club has also managed just one second-place finish since that campaign, which came under Jose Mourinho in 2018.

But Rashford believes the Red Devils are once again capable of challenging at the top.

The 22-year-old added: “It’s obviously a big step. The lads worked hard and for me, it’s what we deserved as a team. We’ve had some tough times this season and some times where we’ve been unstoppable.

“But we need to find that consistency, that’s the biggest thing for us. We have quite a young team, so if we can find that consistency, that will be important for us.”

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