Melanie Maynard, the mother of Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, has opened up about the family’s past struggles, recalling how she often lied to her children about having eaten so they would not worry.
Rashford grew up in Wythenshawe, south Manchester, in a household that struggled to make ends meet. His mother worked multiple jobs to support four children on her own. Rashford relied on school breakfast clubs and free meals, which led to bullying from classmates.
Reflecting on those tough years, Maynard said: “I used to tell my kids I had eaten. They would ask, ‘Have you finished your share?’ and I would say ‘Yes,’ but I had nothing. I was just trying to survive. Now Marcus has given me a stable home, and sometimes I sit in my room and just cry, thinking about where we started and where we are now.”
Rashford has often spoken about the psychological impact of their poverty. “I know what that fear feels like. I saw it in my mother’s eyes. I don’t want any child or parent to go through that,” he told The Guardian.
During the pandemic, those memories resurfaced. “When schools closed, I worried about children like me. Without school breakfasts and free meals, they had almost nothing. What would we have done in that situation?”
That empathy drove him to work with organisations like FareShare, distributing food to struggling families. He also campaigned successfully to extend free meal vouchers during school holidays, pressuring the UK government to expand support.
For Rashford, his mother remains his greatest inspiration. “She is everything to me. Every good thing about me comes from her. She is strong, protective, and never gives up,” he said.
