Teenage amputee determined to be football manager

A teenager from Cornwall who lost his legs and forearms after contracting meningitis as a one-year-old is determined to have a career in sport, he says.

Marshall Janson, 17, from Perranporth, said he had never allowed his disability to stop him from playing football, surfing, doing martial arts or skateboarding.

He has also met his heroes Tyson Fury and England footballer Harry Kane.

Marshall is now studying sport, fitness and personal training at Truro and Penwith College for a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma and said he hoped for a future working in the industry.

Marshall said: "At the moment, we're learning how to be a gym instructor, which will help me because I want to become a football manager. "

As Marshall keeps growing taller, he needs new prosthetic legs once every six months and a fundraising appeal has helped with the cost.

He said the prosthetics gave him freedom to walk around anywhere and "hang out with people".

At eight years old, Marshall met the Spurs team and ran out of the tunnel at White Hart Lane at half-time. He also got to kick a ball around with Harry Kane during one of their training sessions.

"It was amazing, it was just so surreal. When I met Harry Kane, I was star-struck; I didn't really know what to say," said Marshall.

He said his dream was to become the manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

"That's the end goal, yeah. But there's obviously steps to get there and I'll make that happen," he said.

He said wearing prosthetic legs was "just part of the challenge and I've got to prove people wrong".

In 2022, Marshall watched Tyson Fury win his WBC title win at Wembley in 2022 and was invited into the ring to hand him his victor's belt.

Stephanie Janson said her son's determination was "amazing."

"Nothing ever bothers him, he just gets on with things. If he thinks he can't do something he finds a way to do it, he's absolutely a miracle," she said.

"Nothing phases him; when he said he wanted to do the sports course and that was something he really wanted to do, and that's brilliant.

"He's an inspiration to everybody because he just gets on and does it and never moans... much," she said.

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