Marcus Rashford mural notes to come down as heavy rain forecast

The vandalised mural was adorned with messages of pride and positivity

Thousands of messages left on the Marcus Rashford mural in Manchester are to be removed for safekeeping ahead of heavy rains forecast for the weekend.

The heartfelt notes were left on the wall in Withington in a show of solidarity after it was vandalised following England's Euro 2020 exit.

They will be removed on Friday and taken to Manchester Central Library.

Manchester City Council has previously said it was working on plans to preserve the messages permanently.

The wall has become a draw for visitors in recent weeks but council staff have been moved to act as the UK's recent heatwave is due to make way for heavy rains by Saturday.

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Rashford himself will be asked for his input "to help create a legacy of love and solidarity", the council said.

Groups from the National Football Museum, the People's History Museum and the University of Manchester will also be involved in the project, although it has not yet been decided precisely how the messages will be displayed.

Notes thanked Rashford for his "kindness and helping those in need"

Rashford said he was "on the verge of tears" when he first saw the messages from people who had travelled from across the country.

It was defaced with swear words shortly after the Manchester United forward missed a penalty, along with Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, in England's 3-2 penalty shootout defeat.

The handwritten notes will be carefully removed in whole sections and then separated later by Manchester Art Gallery and Central Library Archives staff.

The city council's deputy leader Luthfur Rahman said: "We think it's important this shared moment of solidarity is remembered and preserved for future generations.

"We're reaching out to Marcus with some thoughts on how this could be achieved and to ask what he would like to happen to the tributes, to help create a lasting legacy of tolerance, love, and solidarity for future generations to learn from."