Love Island star 'dating' footballer Marcus Rashford as 'smitten' pair ...

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford is reportedly dating Love Island star Grace Jackson, who previously had a fling with Joey Essex. Grace, who has amassed a large Instagram following and signed a six-figure deal with clothing brand EGO after her stint on the ITV reality show, has been spotted on dates in Cheshire with the footballer.

The bombshell contestant, originally from Walkden in Greater Manchester, entered the Love Island villa and disrupted Joey Essex and Samantha Kenny's coupling, leading to Sam's exit. She later paired up with Joey, who ended their romance for new girl Jessy Potts. However, since then, she's grown close to Marcus, with an insider telling The Sun: "Marcus and Grace have been quietly spending time together and he has whisked her on numerous dates around Cheshire. They get on really well and have lots in common."

Marcus' romantic life has been anything but smooth sailing, with the Manchester United ace parting ways with his long-term love, Lucia Loi, last summer. The pair had previously split in 2021 after an eight-year romance, only to rekindle their relationship, but they eventually called it quits for good two years later.

Since then, Rashford has found himself in a few sticky situations, including a notorious 12-hour party spree in Ireland that ended in a heated argument with a French lady thought to be his partner. Witnesses claimed he booted her out of their plush £1,500-a-night hotel room following accusations of him smooching another woman at a club, reports the Mirror.

The footballer reportedly jetted back to Manchester on a private plane at the crack of dawn and phoned in sick, missing a training session. Manchester United addressed the incident, stating: "Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions. This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed."

Raking in £325,000 weekly, Marcus faced backlash from supporters, with one viral clip capturing a fan berating him with the words: "If you want to go, go!" During a match. He appeared visibly riled by the comment, leading to the fan being escorted back to his seat.

Following his unsanctioned jaunt to Belfast, Marcus found himself dropped from the squad for skipping training. He tackled the backlash head-on in The Players' Tribune, declaring: "When I make a mistake, I'll be the first one to put my hand up and say that I need to do better. But if you ever question my commitment to Man United, that's when I have to speak up."