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- City win historic treble
- Rashford unable to watch celebrations
- But stressed togetherness in camp
WHAT HAPPENED? A solitary Rodri goal midway through the second half was enough to land City their first ever European crown and seal a historic treble - something only previously held by Rashford's current employers United, back in 1999. And while the England forward revealed he watched Saturday's showcase event because he "likes watching the best games", he admitted that the trophy lift and ensuing celebrations were too much to stomach.
WHAT THEY SAID: Asked by reporters to compare City's win with United's triumphant Carabao Cup run earlier this year, which Liverpool rival Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted he refused to watch, Rashford replied: "It’s exactly the same. I like watching football, I like watching the best games so that’s what I did. But after they [City] win the game, I don’t need to watch them celebrating and all that stuff, so yeah, TV off!”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Rashford reaffirmed his commitment to the Three Lions on Wednesday after missing four of the last five camps through injury, drawing criticism from some sectors of the fanbase after an ill-timed holiday trip. And the United man insisted there is togetherness in camp even despite the plethora of accolades at club level - a much changed international culture from previous generations.
On meeting up with his treble-winning rivals, Rashford added: “It is going to be funny. 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. 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.”
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WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD? City's Champions League final - and ensuing celebrations - mean they likely won't feature against Malta on Friday. However, the United forward will be hoping this gives him the opportunity to start for Gareth Southgate, which would be for the first time since England's World Cup group stage fixture against Wales.