Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says Marcus Rashford's campaign on free school meals was 'unbelievable' and admits he respects him for convincing the Government to U-Turn on their policy.
The Manchester United striker won the hearts of the nation after writing to the Government in a plea to ensure school children would continue to receive free school meal vouchers throughout the summer.
The Department of Education initially said they would not carry on the scheme, set up over the coronavirus pandemic, before Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped in to resume the Covid Summer Food Fund.
And Klopp feels Rashford displayed how powerful a footballer's voice can be with his drive to help school children, with 1.3million youngsters set to be given vouchers over the course of the summer.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Liverpool's first game of the restart against rivals Everton, he said: 'Marcus Rashford, I have to say, I couldn't respect more what you did - it's unbelievable.
'It's a bit of a shame you had to do it, but still unbelievable that you did it. It really shows that a person - not alone - but with his name and his effort can change really important things. We are all part of society and we are all involved in that.'
The Premier League has played a big part in societal issues in recent weeks, with the top flight and players uniting in the fight against racism by replacing last names on kits with Black Lives Matter and taking a knee before every game of the restart.
The killing of George Floyd by a policeman in the US has triggered worldwide protests that has seen sport playing a huge part in the response, with powerful social media campaigns by the likes of Raheem Sterling.
Klopp said while football was taking great leaps in the fight against discrimination, he wanted to see greater changes outside the game.
'I think equality should be in all parts of society, not just in football," he added. 'You can see at each level there are so many smart people out there and the last thing you should look for is the colour of someone's skin.
'Being smart has nothing to do with your skin colour, it has only to do with who you are and you don't have to be smart you can be likeable, lovable, you can be funny or whatever. It has nothing to do with your skin colour.
'For us in football it is the most natural thing. I struggle a little bit to talk about it because we live it completely different. For us they are all the same, absolutely the same. So if there is one thing you can learn from football it is this.'