Thanks to his excellent form on loan at Aston Villa, Marcus Rashford returned to the England fold in Thomas Tuchel’s first squad.
Prior to facing Albania and Latvia, Rashford hadn’t featured for his country since the beginning of 2024 when he played 15 minutes in a 1-0 defeat to Brazil.
However, the on-loan Manchester United forward started both games for Tuchel on the left, playing just shy of 80 minutes on either occasion.
And although many were happy to see Rashford in a better place back in an England shirt, his performances were unconvincing in some respects, even if both games were won with relative ease.
Ian Wright gives his verdict on Marcus Rashford’s return for England
That being said, Ian Wright shared his view on Rashford’s situation with England when also discussing Villa teammate Morgan Rogers’ contributions.
Speaking on ‘Wrighty’s House’, Wright was more convinced by Rogers’ efforts, in turn concluding that Rashford might have wasted his chance under Tuchel.
Initially praising Rogers before moving on to Rashford, Wright said: “He [Rogers] was trying to beat them.
“He was trying to get crosses in and he’s done that, and that is why I thought with Marcus – you know what I mean?
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“The ball gets to him and I’m thinking, right, yes, go, and it feels like he’s going to do it, then he stops and then he comes back.
“There’s something that’s stopping him from – he’s got to play like he’s going to fail.
“If I go take this guy on and he tackles me, he tackles me – but I might get past him and then when he does get past people, the actual decision is not great.
“So I think that he’s very fortunate to get those two games. But we need the Morgan Rogers’ energy who’s coming into the squad. He’s ready to go. He knows exactly where he is in his head.
“And he knows what he’s got to do. And I think that Tuchel will put even more pressure on those wide players to come on and do something.
“And that is what I’m looking forward to, that is where the excitement, what he keeps talking about is coming from, people just doing it.
“If Marcus carried on taking him on and made it exciting, got some crosses in, you’d think, yeah, but it just feels like, right, you’ve had two goes there, my friend.
“We’re going to have to bring someone else in, because again, it’s 18 months.”
Unai Emery faces a big Marcus Rashford decision
When he first arrived at Villa, Emery considered Rashford among the best in the world – a player he must have been overjoyed to welcome to the club.
And given how well things have gone alongside fellow loanee Marco Asensio, one can only assume that Villa will be interested in signing the pair permanently.
Paris Saint-Germain have named their Asensio asking price, but perhaps that figure could still increase were the Spaniard to star in the upcoming Champions League tie between the two clubs.
Either way, both Asensio and Rashford will be crucial over the two legs.
And whilst Rashford looked slightly hesitant to beat his man in an England shirt, he’s been more than adventurous at Villa Park on the left this season, a player who finally appears to be enjoying his football again.
