Marcus Rashford's mother has revealed the Manchester United star has lost two people close to him over the past couple of years.
The England international was in the form of his life last season, scoring 30 goals across all competitions as the club won the Carabao Cup and finished third in the Premier League table.
Rashford has struggled this term, however, with the 26-year-old netting just eight times.
He was on target on Sunday as the Red Devils edged a memorable FA Cup showdown with fierce rivals Liverpool, winning 4-3 following a late goal from Amad Diallo.
Marcus Rashford has struggled for consistency at Man Utd this season
GETTY
Rashford has faced plenty of scrutiny over the course of the campaign amid his inconsistent form.
But his mother, Melanie Maynard, has now revealed the pain he's suffered behind the scenes.
Melanie says Rashford struggled to come to terms with the loss of his cousin, Nathan, who died last year.
And she also revealed Rashford had suffered following the death of a 'very good family friend' called Garf two years ago.
"The Queen awarded him an MBE for his work," she told The Times.
"After all of this, Marcus worked hard to achieve a new contract at his boyhood club.
"He loves United. Marcus produced an unbelievable performance last season, scoring 30 goals and 11 assists, to warrant a new contract.
"After that, Marcus lost a second very important person in his life: his cousin Nathan in November, after a very good family friend, Garf, had died a year earlier, which set him back a lot. It was a lot for someone so young to deal with."
Rashford caused controversy by going clubbing in Belfast back in January.
He was subsequently dropped by manager Erik ten Hag for a 4-2 FA Cup win over Newport County.
But Melanie thinks things are looking 'bright again' for her son.
"Marcus is human, so he will have ups and downs in his life like everyone else," she said.
"Marcus is in a very good place, he will never let anyone down.
"But you always need to be wary of people’s intentions around you — sometimes people around you can be wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing.
"After a good win against Liverpool on Sunday and Marcus’s England call-up, things are looking bright again."
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
- Erik ten Hag in trouble at Man Utd despite Liverpool win with 'three names put forward' to replace him
- Bruno Fernandes demands football rule change after dramatic Man Utd win over Liverpool - 'Has to'
- Cristiano Ronaldo paid ultimate compliment by Sir Jim Ratcliffe as new Man Utd chief details masterplan
Marcus Rashford has started to return to form for Man Utd over the past few weeks
GETTY
Melanie's interview comes a couple of weeks after Rashford himself spoke out, lashing out at critics while reiterating his commitment to United.
"I'm a human being. I've made mistakes a lot of lads in their 20s make, and I've tried to learn from them. But I've also made sacrifices nobody sees," he said.
"The thing that I want you to understand is that money is not what keeps you playing through the hard times.
"It's the love of the game, plain and simple."
And Melanie is proud of her son, praising Rashford for 'beating Boris Johnson twice' while also shedding light on a tricky upbringing for the forward.
Marcus Rashford's mother has opened up on the Man Utd star and revealed he's lost two people close to him
GETTY
"He beat Boris Johnson twice and free school meals were distributed all over. Again, what another fantastic achievement," she said.
Melanie added: "I had three jobs and if I didn't do that we wouldn't have been able to cook a pot of food, it's just a bit difficult.
"So Marcus is only telling the story from how he sees it and the words he has been saying come from the bottom of his heart.
"Sometimes it was really bad, I'd rather give the food to the kids than give it to myself, sometimes I didn't get anything to eat."
