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Marcus Rashford has just had a ‘surreal’ Zoom call with Barack Obama

He spoke with the former US President to discuss the power young people can have to make change in society.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 28th May 2021

It’s not everyday you get to hop onto a Zoom call with Barack Obama.

Well, for the vast majority of us, the opportunity to speak directly with the former President of the United States is never actually going to present itself – but it’s hard to deny that Marcus Rashford deserves it after the year he’s had.

In a call organised by Penguin Books UK, the 23-year-old Wythenshawe-born Manchester United star was able to meet virtually with the 44th US president to chat about everything from the importance of giving back to your local community and the positive impact of reading – a cause which Rashford heavily champions – the to other themes from Obama’s memoir, A Promised Land.

The pair also spoke about some of their shared experiences, which include being raised by single mothers and wanting to make an impact on society.

“It’s quite surreal isn’t it?” Rashford said of the call.

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“I’m sitting in my kitchen in Manchester, speaking to President Obama, but immediately, he made me feel at ease.

“It wasn’t long before I realised just how aligned our experiences as children were in shaping the men you see today – adversity, obstacles and all [and] I genuinely enjoyed every minute of it.

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“When President Obama speaks, all you want to do is listen.”

The praise wasn’t just one sided though, as Mr Obama also had plenty of positive things to say about the young footballer and everything he’s achieved: “A lot of the young people I meet – including Marcus – they’re ahead of where I was when I was 23.

“They’re already making changes and being positive forces in their communities.”

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Rashford made Manchester proud last year when he spearheaded a prominent campaign to tackle child food poverty in the UK during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which ultimately led to 1.7 million vulnerable children being supported by a £520 million government scheme and other projects have helped deliver 130 million meals.

He has also launched a food education and cooking project for children – Full Time Meals – with renowned British chef, Tom Kerridge.

You can watch the full conversation between Marcus Rashford and Barack Obama on the Penguin Books UK YouTube channel today from 2pm.

Featured Image – Penguin Books UK

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Paddy McGuinness teases potential return of Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere

Danny Jones Danny Jones Max and Paddy return

Right, we don’t mean to alarm you all, but Max and Paddy might finally be coming back after nearly 20 years. In other entirely unrelated news, there is a god.

We only ever got one solitary season of Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere, but it only took six episodes for it to leave us with lasting memories of rolling on the floor laughing and quoting lines all these years later.

The Phoenix Nights spin-off went on to be not just a cult favourite but an iconic British sitcom that rivalled the show that spawned it, cementing both Peter Kay and Paddy McGuinness as even greater household names than they already were.

Cut to nearly two nearly full decades later and Paddy himself has teased that the hit Northern comedy might not be done after all. Battle stations, people — we’re on the campaign trail now.

Speaking to Capital Breakfast this week, McGuinness came on to the subject of Max and Paddy return, saying that “the interesting thing about Max and Paddy, and Phoenix Nights is now, we are kind of all of an age of the people we played back then.”

He admitted that while they “do talk about it and what have you” and would love to see the full cast return someday, he just “can’t see it at the minute”.

However, he did go on to insist “never say never” and, more promisingly, that the comedy duo’s comeback, specifically, could very well be on the cards.

“Like Max and Paddy, for instance, we wrote a couple of Christmas specials, and we’ve still got them”, says McGuinness. “We never got around to doing one for whatever reason back in the day. But we’ve actually got them.”

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The 49-year-old went on to clarify that more than one script has already been written for some time, but they’ve just been kept on the backburner given that he is admittedly “inherently lazy” and likes “doing as little as possible”, it just never came to fruition.

“If you’re doing a scripted comedy show, it does take a long time. So to do something like [this], you have literally got to blank out 12 months of your life.

“He [Kay] is on tour. I’ve got all kinds of stuff going on, and it’s just sort of going ‘right, let’s get together. Let’s get our diaries together. And let’s blank out for that time'”. We don’t know a single person that wouldn’t want to see a Max and Paddy return in some form.

While hosts Roman Kemp and Siân Welby urged people to get flooding them with texts and posting all over social media, the former Take Me Out presenter joked it “won’t make a blind bit of difference.” Come on, Paddy, don’t let us down now.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Channel 4

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Lidl’s iconic trainers have been spotted back in Manchester stores

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Lidl’s sell-out trainers are once again back in its Manchester stores – and streetwear enthusiasts are already filing in in their droves to stock up.

The shoes, which usually sell out within days of going live, have hit shelves once again – and are already re-selling for hundreds online.

The iconic £14.99 trainers, which come in the budget supermarket chain’s signature red, blue and yellow colourway, have previously been amongst the Lidl’ clothing range’s most popular items.

When they first launched in 2021, the trainers were priced at just £12.99 but ended up selling online for upwards of £1,000 as sneakerheads outbid each other on Ebay and Depop for the last few pairs.

Now they’re back in a new look – and it’s fair to say that lidl shoppers are just as excited the second time around.

Image: The Manc Group

Donning the retailer’s logo on the tongue and heel, the new-look trainer design focuses on a white shoe with brightly-colored insets and seaming.

Read more: You can now get a full English in a loaf of bread at Ancoats General Store

Items from the range are already on eBay for £150 – so you’ll need to be quick if you want to cop anything for yourself.

Previously released as a one-off, the trainers are being sold in both women’s and men’s sizes, with women’s ranging from sizes 4 to 7, and in men’s sizes 7 to 11 and a half.

Read more: Amsterdam urges young British men to ‘stay away’ in new tourism campaign

As well as the trainers, Lidl’s in-demand clothing line has previously featured sports socks (from 99p), men’s swimming shorts and a foldable shopping bag.

Featured image – The Manc Group

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