The way that Thomas Tuchel has structured the final international break before the World Cup, it’s almost impossible not to view it through the prism of winners and losers. With that in mind, it’s already been another progressive exercise for Marcus Rashford.
The 28-year-old’s England journey under Tuchel has been one of incremental steps.
Having been excluded from Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad, Rashford’s troubles on and off the field at Manchester United also saw him overlooked during Lee Carsley’s Nations League campaign.
But Tuchel has always liked Rashford. He admired and indeed feared him when manager of Chelsea and now his gradual reintegration with England that began with a telephone call as soon as Tuchel got the job sees him guaranteed a place in the squad for the World Cup and edging ever closer to a berth in the starting eleven.
For all that Tuchel will rely on pragmatism and structure and the pursuit of ‘big moments’ in America – this is why Trent Alexander-Arnold is not in the picture – he knows he will need safe-breakers this summer, players to change the rhythm of a game, to inject some speed and some directness into his team’s attacking play.
So – out on the left – the choice will be between Rashford and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon.
Marcus Rashford is becoming increasingly influential for England under Thomas Tuchel
It comes at a time when he is enjoying a revival at club level on loan at Barcelona this season
Rashford was more impressive than most in Friday’s exercise in futility against Uruguay which was admirable given he has been playing recently with some soreness from a strained ACL in his knee. He was the one England player prepared to play instinctively and with real purpose.
Now a big month or so awaits with Barcelona. While Rashford was making his 69th England cap and receiving some public encouragement from Tuchel afterwards, his Barcelona team-mate Raphinha was damaging his hamstring playing for Brazil against France in Boston.
It is now anticipated that Rashford will take his place for forthcoming Champions League quarter-final games with Atletico Madrid and important La Liga games either side.
‘It feels like peak time for Marcus,’ said a source close to his situation. ‘This really could be lift off.’
Certainly Rashford’s return to genuine relevance now feels very real. It’s only two years since his misery at United reached its lowest point – a drinking bender in Belfast and a missed day’s training on Erik ten Hag’s troubled watch.
Ruben Amorim was even less impressed than his predecessor and a loan to Barcelona followed last summer when it appeared impossible for one of United’s own to ever play for the club again.
Even those who know Rashford and who have his best interests at heart admit now that he simply had to get out of Manchester for the sake of his career and also his own emotional equilibrium.
The talk now is of a quieter existence in Spain. He has taken up an interest in fishing – from a boat in the ocean rather than a riverbank – and has even sold some of his favourite cars.
Rashford previously endured a turbulent few years after he fell out of favour at Man United
Tuchel has always admired Rashford and sources have described this as ‘peak time’ for him
A good relationship with Barcelona’s German coach Hansi Flick has been fundamental and quickly moved on from an incident that saw Rashford two minutes late for a team meeting and dropped to the bench last September. It is understood his security card malfunctioned at the training ground gate. Rashford now sees to it that he arrives half an hour early.
None of this has much surprised those at the FA and around the England team who have known Rashford since he first played for the national team as an 18-year-old for Roy Hodgson almost ten years ago. Hodgson gave him his debut but it was under Gareth Southgate that he flourished.
Tuchel’s predecessor as England coach was always struck not only by Rashford’s talent but also by his ability to see bigger pictures around squad dynamics and selection.
For example, when he was relegated to the role as impact sub in Euro 2020, Southgate commented how well he had adapted to his change in circumstances.
For a while, that level of maturity and focus went missing. Even those close to Rashford will admit that. At one point his relationship with his boyhood club had grown so bad that it was said to be ‘unresolvable’.
Whether a regime change at United will prompt a reconciliation this summer is far from certain. His £325,000-a-week wages do not sit comfortably in the current Old Trafford structure that leans heavily towards highly incentivised contracts with lower rates of basic pay.
Barcelona have an option to buy Rashford for £26m and if that doesn’t come to pass then a loan elsewhere may follow. The World Cup could yet represent an opportunity to make a mark with England again but also act as an enormous shop window for someone with five years or more left at the top level.
Tuchel sees Rashford as a weapon on his side of the field but also as one of a coterie of players – Gordon and Phil Foden are others – who could yet provide an answer to the question of a back up to centre forward Harry Kane.
A close relationship between Rashford and Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has been fundamental
Rashford has won 68 caps for England and scored 18 times since making his debut in 2016
Rashford has not been a regular starter for Tuchel. Indeed he was selected only once in a competitive game subsequent to a role in the lumbering 2-0 home win over Andorra last September.
But it’s trajectory that matters now and while others falter or thrash about in one of the head coach’s many blind spots, Rashford is moving forwards both where the public can see him and where they can’t.
‘He tries hard,’ said Tuchel after the Uruguay game. ‘He hasn’t started a game for a long, long time. So we gave him this because I spoke to him and I was very impressed with the training we did.
‘It was defensive training and he was very strong. I think he worked very hard.
‘He can’t quite get the goal that he maybe needs to be in full confidence. But I’m happy with the way he tried and he was a constant threat.’
If Tuchel believes there is more to come from Rashford then it only strengthens his hand.
There are a number of England players trying to desperately hang on to form and full fitness as a long season rolls on. But Rashford appears to be on the cusp of another stride forwards. We could do with a few more of those.
