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Marcus Rashford’s dream home in the Cheshire countryside is still under construction, four years after the footballer bought the site.
New photos of the build show the exterior of the five-bedroom home completed, but there is no landscaping and minimal interior work underway.
Locals say work on the build is sporadic and the site is regularly empty.
And there is one huge catch. The property, set in the heart of peaceful green space, is right underneath the flight path for Manchester airport – handy for Rashford’s travels but not so desirable for peace and quiet.
The Manchester United star, 26, began ‘investing more in property’ at the beginning of 2020 and, shortly after, construction started on his new wildlife paradise.
Marcus Rashford’s dream home in the Cheshire countryside is still under construction, four years after the footballer bought the site
The five-bedroom property will include a nine-hole golf course and, in planning proposals, ecology experts have produced ‘biodiversity enhancement measures’ to look after the natural habitat.
Rashford bought the greenfield land in 2020 before plans to restore the course were given the green light in February 2022.
Plans for the house include an open-plan kitchen, study and dining room, while it will also feature a basement complete with an indoor swimming pool, wine cellar and a gym.
The first floor will contain the property’s five bedrooms, while a two-storey apartment is also under construction as a guesthouse – linked to the main house by a passageway.
A report to the council adds that the property will be ‘enhanced for bats and breeding birds’.
It says: ‘This can be achieved through the installation of bat boxes and appropriate bird nest boxes into the proposed house at the site.
‘Four bat boxes and three sparrow nest boxes are to be built, which will open out into areas of the garden or countryside.’
Subdued lighting will also ‘ensure that the proposed bat and bird box locations are not illuminated by any new artificial lighting’.
The Manchester United star, 26, began ‘investing more in property’ at the beginning of 2020 and, shortly after, construction started on his new wildlife paradise
In planning proposals, ecology experts have produced ‘biodiversity enhancement measures’ to look after the natural habitat
Locals say work on the build, underneath the flight path for Manchester airport, is sporadic and the site is regularly empty
Plans for the property include ‘hedgehog friendly fencing’ to allow the creatures to ‘move between the site itself and and the surrounding golf course habitats’.
Rashford also signed an agreement to protect Great Crested Newts on the land last year after they were discovered in a nearby pond.
A planting scheme has submitted, which would include woodland and plants all native to the areas, including hazel and beech.
And in 2022 planning application Rashford stated he wants to reduce the size of the property from 813sqm to 792sqm.
The English forward came up through the ranks at Old Trafford, bursting onto the scene in the 2015-16 campaign with five goals in 11 games in the second half of the season.
In eight years Rashford has found the net 135 times in 413 matches, often standing out as a shining light in a lean period in the club’s history, while off the pitch he received an MBE for his work tackling child hunger.
Pictures taken of the site in 2022 show the mansion’s steel frame being erected
Two years on and the exterior work looks to be completed but there is no landscaping and minimal interior work underway
Rashford bought the greenfield land in 2020 before plans to restore the course were given the green light in February 2022
Recently, however, the 26-year-old has been finding things a bit trickier, scoring just eight times last season as United slumped to an eighth-placed finish. He also found himself in hot water for missing training following a 12-hour tequila bender in Belfast and going clubbing after Erik Ten Hag‘s side lost the Manchester derby in October.
Earlier this month former Red Devils coach Benni McCarthy shed light on his relationship with Rashford and the kind of people the star surrounds himself with, in an interview with SuperSport Unplugged.
He said: ‘Rashford is special – he’s a special human being. He’s pure-hearted and he’s Man United through and through.
Plans for the house include an open-plan kitchen, study and dining room, while it will also feature a basement complete with an indoor swimming pool, wine cellar and a gym
‘He was “Marcus” [as opposed to “Rashy”] to me. I’m straight to the point and I think he respected that instead of me sweet-talking him… for other reasons.
‘I was just a straight shooter and I think he probably didn’t have enough people in his life who are straight with him because everyone tells him what he wants to hear because of who he is.
‘I was just normal and I think he appreciated that so any kind of advice he would come to me – advice on anything. We still message each other.’
In July Rashford was hit with a six-month driving ban and fined £1,600 after he was caught speeding at 104mph on the M60 in his £560,000 Rolls-Royce.