Marcus Rashford is set to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Manchester.
Rashford will be honoured for his recent charity work and activism that supplied food to impoverished children in Britain.
The Manchester United star will become the youngest person to receive a doctorate, the highest honour that the university can bestow, according to the Manchester Evening News.
We are delighted to make @England and @ManUtd footballer, @MarcusRashford, our youngest ever recipient of an honorary degree. pic.twitter.com/6QRtopJwqU
— The University of Manchester (@OfficialUoM) July 15, 2020
Earlier in the summer, Rashford had discussed the food poverty he experienced as a school child in England and used his own experience to effect positive change.
Rashford was lauded for the exceptional work that he carried out during the lockdown.
It forced the Conservative government, led by Boris Johnson, to extend the free school meal programme throughout the summer.
The about-face came shortly after the Conservative minister, Matt Hancock had accused footballers of not doing enough to help during the pandemic.
This move was viewed as a deflection from the government's lacklustre response to the crisis.
"I don't think that the Tory government was looking for the footballers to do anything," said football writer Daniel Harris, when speaking to OTB AM in June.
I think that they were looking to misdirect from their own culpability, for the absolute mess that was coronavirus in the UK."
Since the initial news broke Rashford has continued to focus the spotlight on the issue of child poverty in Britain. Yesterday, he tweeted a photo updating the public on Fareshare UK's current progress.
A message from me to you ♥️ pic.twitter.com/GZzajvUw5l
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) July 14, 2020
Rashford joins Alex Ferguson and Bobby Charlton as a recipient of the award.
"When you look at the great names have been awarded this doctorate in the past, it's humbling," Rashford said when reacting to the news.
"We still have a long way to go in the fight to combat child poverty in this country but receiving recognition from your city means we are heading in the right direction and that means a lot."
On the pitch, Rashford recently scored as Manchester United drew 2-2 with Southampton on Monday, a result that prevented United from jumping into the top four at the expense of Chelsea and Leicester City.
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