Marcus Rashford couldn’t stomach Man City celebrations but England remain united
Marcus Rashford could not bring himself to watch Manchester City lift the Champions League – but the Manchester United star says club rivalries are left at the door with England thanks to the group’s “strong bond”. Erik ten Hag’s arrival sparked a marked improvement in the red half of Manchester this season, with February’s Carabao Cup triumph followed up by a third-placed finish in the Premier League. But City stopped United ending their campaign on a high at Wembley by winning the first all-Manchester FA Cup final as they stayed on track to replicate their rivals’ historic 1999 treble triumph. Pep Guardiola’s men did just that by beating Inter Milan in Saturday’s Champions League final – a match Rashford watched on TV, although there was only so much he could stomach. Put to the forward that Trent Alexander-Arnold turned off the TV when United won the FA Cup as he could not bear to watch Liverpool’s rivals lift silverware, Rashford said: “It’s exactly the same. “I like watching football, I like watching the best games so that’s what I did. “But after they win the game, I don’t need to watch them celebrating and all that stuff, so yeah, TV off!” City’s treble understandably sticks in the craw but there appears little chance of club rivalries impacting England like they did with previous generations. “It is going to be funny,” Rashford said of the conversations he was expecting with the quintet on international duty. “But, like I said, it’s congratulations to them and, for me, they deserved it, they played the best football this year. “There’s not much more to say about it, really. The talking’s done on the pitch and they did really well this year.” Asked if it is a strength of the England squad to go from bantering about club matters to playing well together, Rashford said: “Yeah, I think definitely that’s a part of it. “But there’s a strong bond in this squad and there has been regardless of which players come in and that’s down to the environment. “There’s not much more I can put it down to, so we’re looking forward to having them back here. “They’re obviously all really good players and we need them if we want our squad to be as strong as possible.” I don’t need to watch them celebrating and all that stuff, so yeah, TV off! Marcus Rashford on Manchester City's trophy celebrations While club allegiances will not put a spoke in England’s wheel, Rashford does not hide from questions about United’s place in the pecking order. For so long the dominant force in English football, the 20-time league champions are now playing second fiddle in their own city. On the desire to be top dogs once more, Rashford said: “I think that was always the aim regardless of their success this year or the previous years. “Let’s be honest, it’s not anything new – the only thing that’s new is that they managed to win all three. “They are a very good team and it’s not just us that are trying to catch up to them, it’s pretty much every team as well. “Is it a challenge? Yeah, but we can’t shy away from it. We have to face it and do our best next season.” Rashford says United’s players and staff spoke in the dressing room after the FA Cup final about the need to kick on again as the 2023-24 campaign quickly comes into focus. There are only 23 days between Rashford, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw playing in England’s final June qualifier against North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday and United playing their first pre-season match. It is a far cry from the full summer of preparation Rashford enjoyed last year, which provided a platform for him to bounce back from the most challenging campaign of his career. The rejuvenated 25-year-old went onto score a career best 30 goals in all competitions under Ten Hag, who the United forward credits for changing the mindset of the group and helping him find his fire again. “He came in and he wanted to win,” Rashford said. “I feel like at times we have lacked that ambition, as I’ve said before. “He wasn’t caring about getting into the top four, doing any of that – he just wanted to win trophies and when you strive for the best sometimes you are going to fall short as we did in areas this season. “But you have to look at the outcome. We managed to win a trophy and get back into the Champions League spots, get to another final and it’s definitely a progression from the previous year, or couple of years before. “He just managed to motivate me and just relight the flame that was missing.” Ten Hag’s United have put things in place to close the gap to City next season, but the interminable takeover saga continues to provide a dark, uncertain cloud over the Old Trafford giants. Asked if it is easy to block out the constant noise about it, Rashford said: “For me, yeah, because I am here with the national team, like I don’t want to be worrying about what’s going on in Manchester and stuff like that. “For me, it’s just the importance on these next two games and getting the job done while also doing it as well as we can.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Callum Wilson tuned up to secure England recall after Newcastle disappointment Croatia reach Nations League final with extra-time win over Netherlands He was the main guy – Jordan James knew Jude Bellingham would reach the top
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School holidays sorted: Fuss-free and nutritious family dinner recipes
We all know how important it is for the whole family to follow a nutritious diet and enjoy tasty meals together, but with the chaos that the school summer holidays bring, that can be no mean feat. We are here to help with five simple yet flavoursome recipes from Discover Great Veg to keep everyone at the dinner table happy and well nourished. With a range of cuisines to choose from and packed full of delicious vegetables, the whole family can enjoy sharing healthy meals together. For a fun family mealtime idea, the vegan Mexican bean, spinach and nacho crumble will have everyone coming back for seconds! One portion contains three of your five a day and costs just £1.25 to make. Containing vitamins K and A, low in fat, and a source of fibre, folate and protein, it can also be cooked in your slow cooker. Introduce the kids to wonderfully leafy green kale in the family-friendlypork and kale meatballs with spaghetti. If you don’t have pork, try using chicken, turkey or beef to make the meatballs. And for a healthy twist on the classic chilli, try the chicken and kale chilli. Flavoursome and high in protein, yet low in fat it is also a source of vitamin C and high in vitamin K. Everyone loves a pasta bake! Suitable for vegetarians, the spinach pasta bake is packed full of vegetables and contains 3 of your 5 a day. Or for another injection of spinach, try the cheesy baked eggs, which makes a stunning centrepiece and is also suitable for vegetarians. Both dishes are high in vitamin K and A, and a source of folate. Mexican bean and spinach nacho crumble Cost: £1.25 per portion Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 red onion, chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp chilli powder 400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 corn on the cob, kernels removed 250g frozen diced butternut squash 400g can chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato ketchup 260g bag spinach 100g tortilla chips, roughly crushed Method: Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes, add the spices and then add the beans, corn kernels and squash and fry for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, with half a can of water and the ketchup. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Transfer to a heatproof serving dish, sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips and grill for 1-2 minutes. Cooks tip: To cook in a slow cooker, prepare as above, stir in the tomatoes, water and ketchup and bring to the boil. Transfer to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Stir in the spinach and finish as above. Pork and kale meatballs with tomato spaghetti Cost: £1.45 per portion Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 250g bag kale 2 tbsp oil 1 red onion, finely chopped 500g minced pork 1 tsp Italian seasoning 3 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto 250g spaghetti 400g can chopped tomatoes 2 tsp balsamic vinegar Method: Cook the kale in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain well. Squeeze out the excess moisture from half the kale and finely chop. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the onion for 4-5 minutes until golden, transfer half to a large bowl and mix in the pork, chopped kale, Italian seasoning and 1 tbsp pesto, season and mix well. Divide into 16 balls. Set aside the remaining onions. Heat the remaining oi in the same frying pan and fry the meatballs for 10-15 minutes until cooked through Remove and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions, drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Return the reserved onions to the same frying pan, add the chopped tomatoes, vinegar, remaining pesto and kale and bring to the boil, stir in the spaghetti and a little of the cooking water and stir to evenly coat. Season. Serve the tomato spaghetti topped with the meatballs. Cooks tip: Try using minced turkey, chicken, lamb or beef instead of the pork. Chicken and kale chilli Cost: £1.95 per portion Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 tbsp oil 1 leek, sliced 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp ground cumin 500g minced chicken or turkey 2 tbsp tomato puree 400g can chopped tomatoes 400g can black beans, drained and rinsed 250g bag kale 1 ripe avocado, diced Soured cream and cooked rice to serve Method: Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the leek and garlic for 1 minute. Add the spices and then the minced chicken and fry until browned. Add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes along with ½ can of water and the beans. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the kale in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain well then stir into the chilli. Season to taste. Serve topped with avocado, a spoonful of soured cream on a bed of rice. Cooks tip: Try minced pork instead and serve on top of jacket potatoes. Spinach and pasta bake Cost: £1.44 per portion Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 75g cashews 1 carrot, sliced 1 sweet potato, diced 300ml almond milk 50g vegan hard cheese, grated 300g macaroni pasta 260g bag spinach 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 leek, sliced 100g cherry tomatoes, halved 50g homemade breadcrumbs Method: Preheat the oven to 200C, gas mark 6. Cook the cashews, carrot, and sweet potato in boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and puree in a food processor with the almond milk until smooth, season and add half the cheese alternative. Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water for 10 minutes, add the spinach until wilted, drain well and return to the pan. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the leek and tomatoes for 3-4 minutes until softened. Mix the sauce and leek mixture into the pasta and stir to combine. Transfer to an ovenproof serving dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese alternative and breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes until golden. Cooks tip: Try new potatoes or butternut squash to replace the sweet potatoes. Cheesy baked eggs Cost: £1.25 per portion Cook time: 25 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced 2 cloves garlic sliced 10 cherry tomatoes sliced 200g spinach 4 large eggs 100g mature cheddar grated Seasoning to taste Method: Preheat your oven to 180C. Add the oil to a medium pan on a low to medium heat then add in the leeks. Fry for 8-10 minutes until soft and caramelising. Now add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Add the tomatoes and spinach to the pan and cook down for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and season well. Transfer the mix to a medium high sided baking dish. Crack the eggs on top of the veg mix. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top and pop in the oven for 8-10 minutes. 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