St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery in Lea have responded to the online abuse aimed at Marcus Rashford by writing him a letter telling him how valued he is.

Read more: Year four pupils at Penwortham primary school show solidarity with England team

The letter reads: “Dear Marcus Rashford,

“We are the children of Leopards class and we are writing to you because we wanted you to know how proud we are of you.

“You and your teammates have done a remarkable job.

“You made it into the finals which is an outstanding achievement as it’s the first final we’ve been in over 55 years!

“You tried your absolute best and that’s all that matters – you made our country shine.

“Not only are we proud of you on the pitch, we are proud of you off the pitch too.

“You campaigned passionately to secure us a meal at the table every single day throughout lockdown. We have since researched all the charitable work that your team has done and we are amazed at all the lives you have improved.

“Last night in your statement, you apologised for letting us down. What we would like to say to you is: Final, Beginning. 55 years. Future. One penalty. 3.7 million meals per week. History. Legend.

“All that we can say is: we are proud. We are inspired. We are humbled. You are brave.

“At St Bernard’s, our head teacher Mrs Barlow tells us to wear our badge with pride and that’s exactly what you and your team did. Three Lions. Pride. Power. Passion.

“Thank you for helping us believe.

“We look forward to welcoming you to Deepdale on July 31.

“Yours sincerely,

“Year four, Leopards Class.”

The letter has been forwarded to Marcus Rashford, and the school are hoping for a response.

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