Defaced Marcus Rashford mural covered in supportive notes

People covered the defaced part of the mural with hearts and supportive messages

Marcus Rashford has said he was "on the verge of tears" when he saw his mural which was vandalised had been covered in hearts and supportive notes.

The artwork in Withington, Manchester, was defaced following England's defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

Notes and drawings with the words "role model", "wonderful human" and "hero" have been attached to the wall.

Rashford said: "The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up."

Those who brought the messages and hearts said they wanted to show solidarity with the Manchester United striker and stand against racism.

Rashford missed a penalty in the 3-2 shootout loss, along with Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.

All three players have since been targeted with racist abuse on social media.

Rashford tweeted he was sorry for missing his penalty, adding that he "wished it had gone differently" but then paid tribute to those who added messages on the mural.

Notes with the words "role model" and "hero" were placed over the defaced mural

The 23-year-old said: "The messages I had received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears.

"The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up."

Earlier Greater Manchester Police said an investigation had begun after the force received a report of racially-aggravated damage at the mural at 02:50 BST.

Several swear words were daubed across the mural alongside the word "Saka".

There has been an outpouring of support for Rashford on social media and people have also posted positive messages over the covered-up graffiti on the mural.

Children stuck up drawings and described Rashford, Sancho and Saka as "national heroes".

One card thanked Rashford for his "passion, compassion and desire to change lives"

Others wrote cards to thank Rashford for his work to tackle child food poverty.

"Thank you for your passion, compassion and desire to change lives," one note said.

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Laura Morris, 36, a season ticket holder for Manchester United who lives in Didsbury, said she visited the mural because she was upset it had been vandalised.

"He was so brave taking that penalty.

"Seeing what people have done to the mural is so disgusting so I wanted to show our solidarity for him," she said.

A crowdfunding appeal to fix the damage to the mural has raised nearly £18,000.

At the scene

By Rumeana Jahangir, BBC News Online

Many Mancunians have expressed shock, disappointment and fury that the mural of a "local lad" who has made significant achievements on and off the pitch, despite only being 23 years old, was defaced.

Yet at the same time, many aren't surprised that racism has yet again surfaced.

A number of locals have been sticking up hearts, flags and notes expressing their support and admiration for Rashford.

Others watched in silence or took pictures while they tried to cover up the vandalism in the rain.

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