Marcus Rashford has given England boss Thomas Tuchel something to think about after he impressed the hard-to-move German coach.
Marcus Rashford has risen in Thomas Tuchel’s esteem after making a strong impression in England’s training. Having previously come with harsh criticism, Tuchel’s attitude seems to have softened after Rashford’s performance against Uruguay, potentially increasing his chances of securing a place in the starting line-up at the World Cup.
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In October last year, Tuchel issued a strong warning to Manchester United’s ostracized Rashford, questioning whether he would fulfill his potential as a world-class player. Tuchel said: “Potential is a dangerous word in top sport, because you have to reach your personal best regularly – it is required at this level and that is the challenge for him. It’s not a question of talent.”
However, Tuchel chose to start with Rashford against Uruguay after being impressed by his commitment and effort in training.
“I was very impressed with the training yesterday. It was a defensive training and he was very strong together with Djed Spence on the side. He understood how to start the pressure for us. He worked hard, and I think he worked very hard. He just doesn’t get the goal that he might need to have full confidence. I’m happy with the way he tried and he was a constant threat.”
Rashford’s last England goal came against Serbia in September last year.
Nevertheless, he has now regained Tuchel’s approval, and Dominic Solanke is also being praised along with James Garner, whose versatility – he can play both right-back and midfield – could make him a late candidate for selection.
Everton boss David Moyes has been a clear supporter of Garner, and Tuchel has shown considerable interest in the player.
The England boss gave special praise to Rashford after the Uruguay game
The England squad went into the match against Uruguay and treated it like an audition, with a feeling that individual performances were more important than the overall result.
Tucel has indicated that he got exactly what he was looking for from the Uruguay game and the previous training sessions.
The players were expected to make their mark before the established stars returned to the Japan match.
Tuchel stated: “I was looking forward to that game, I’ll tell you. I was looking forward because we had some good trainings, and the group was a lively group. We said to the group today: do we expect everything to be perfect? Yes, maybe so, because we always do. But we are smart enough to understand that you are playing for the first time, you may be nervous, and you have a lot of information to take in over the last few days. So it may take some time, and the opponents know what they are doing. They play in their best formation, so just keep going, stay positive, and that’s what they did. I liked the group very much. I was looking forward to leading them. I was very happy when I did it. It seemed like we won the game, but it was good. It was nice.”
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