Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford was presented with an honorary degree by the University of Manchester at Old Trafford on Thursday, in recognition of his campaigning work off the pitch in tackling child poverty.

At just 23 years of age, Rashford became the youngest recipient of an honorary doctorate from the university.

Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who also has an honorary degree from the university, joined Rashford's friends and family - including his tearful mum - to see him receive the award from vice-chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell.

Rashford waged a high-profile campaign last year to persuade the British government to provide free meals to vulnerable youngsters in England throughout the school holidays during the coronavirus pandemic, eventually forcing Prime Minister Boris Johnson into a U-turn.

He has also been an outspoken critic of the government's decision to scrap the UK# 20-a-week (US$ 2.73) increase to Universal Credit, introduced to support people on low incomes during the pandemic.

MARCUS RASHFORD
Manchester United
"I just want to say a big thank you to everyone for being here today. This is something that's very important to me. And there's many reasons why I go back to my times when I was in the academy. I remember the coaching staff, we always spoke about following in the footsteps of great people that we looked up to. And it makes these moments like this that little bit more special. To be here in the presence of a great such as Sir Alex and those who played a huge role in my journey to where I am today is very special. I appreciate you all for making the time for me today. To the University of Manchester, to my family, to Sir Alex, to Sir Bobby, who can't be here today, to all my friends at the back, to my old coaches. I just want to say a massive thank you for being here today. It's a great moment for me and I'm happy to share it with you guys. So thank you."