if football aficionados have watched a match lately it has been done from the comfort of their sofa if the vaccination drive succeeds and more variants of coronavirus dont emerge football may bounce back and regular fans return to the terraces once more but until then the industry must pull through and use imaginative solutions to keep football lovers hooked one such innovative initiative is apollo tyres united we play launched by apollo tyres in association with manchester united it was conducted digitally to provide a platform for young footballing talent and was led by manchester united soccer school muss coaches the second edition kicks off in october with a digital camp followed by masterclass sessions with muss coaches in december the aim is to conduct the onground leg in january and february depending on prevailing government normscongratulationsyou have successfully cast your votelogin to view resultthe second edition will see even more skills to learn challenges with exciting prizes and the chance to learn from the best in the business it truly is a chance to go from grassroots to greatness the culmination of the first edition saw four lucky participants treated to a surprise interaction with manchester united star marcus rashford everything from the players aspirations to marcus football journey and the skills required for success was discussed marcus was asked how he trains to go the distance on the pitch to which he replied that mentality is probably the biggest thing everyone wants to practice their skills and stuff like that which are equally important but to be mentally strong and mentally stable thats the biggest thinghere are some highlights from the interaction between the star footballer and young players who were nothing less than thrilled when marcus appeared on their screens as a surprise it has been marvellous to see marcus grow through the ranks at the manchester united academy and the united we play campaign made it possible for young aspirants to learn from this stalwart marcus was kind enough to share intimate details like how his coaches have always stressed the importance of expressing yourself on the pitch marcus also shared how it felt to play without a live audience saying it was difficult initially however the players abided by the spirit of this sport that teaches them to adapt to the circumstances marcus taught the young learners to use their physical and mental strength while playing the sport to keep them motivated following through from the first season of united we play apollo tyres will continue to support players by using exclusive tutorial videos with the manchester united first team u18s and legends with the digital phase of the program to be expanded to other countries as well players will be taught practical skills broken down stepbystep that have actually been used by first team players in matches challenges will be set on these tutorials giving players the opportunity to try the skills out for themselves with thrilling prizes on offer the program then