There are growing calls for Marcus Rashford to be knighted after the Manchester United star's campaign led to the Government extending its free school meals scheme into the summer.
The 22-year-old penned a letter to MPs on Monday but his calls for a reversal to the decision not to provide meals into the summer was rejected by the Department of Education.
However, Rashford insisted "we aren’t beaten yet" and continued to urge the those in power to "find their humanity".
And his perseverance paid off, as the Government announced on Tuesday afternoon the £120million 'Covid Summer Food Fund' to feed 1.3million children per week.
Rashford took to Twitter to respond to the news, writing: "I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020."
His open letter to MPs was retweeted more than 145,000 times and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson thanked Rashford for his "contribution to the debate around poverty".
The PM also "respects he's been using his profile as a leading sportsman to highlight important issues".
The England international is now as short as 4/5 with some bookmakers to be knighted by 2022 and he has all-but closed the gap on Tyson Fury to be named the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
And many fans in the replies to his tweet believe he is on course for a place on the new year's honours list.
"Marcus Rashford deserves a knighthood. That's the tweet," wrote one Twitter user. Another said: "Arise, Sir Marcus!"
The odds of Rashford receiving the Freedom of Manchester and being made England captain have also been slashed.
Elsehwere, one fan wrote, "You’re a credit to your family and your city. Well done lad," while another from a rival club fanbase added, "Sports Personality Of The Year. No debate."
Manchester United teammate and club captain Harry Maguire responded "Top class".
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