England: Marcus Rashford gets World Cup chance amid Thomas Tuchel challenge to 'push himself' | OneFootball

Rashford has opportunity to force his way into World Cup picture as Tuchel urges him to fulfil his potential

One of Thomas Tuchel’s first acts as England head coach was to bring Marcus Rashford in from the cold after a year in the international wilderness.

Rashford had not been selected for England since March 2024 when Tuchel named him in his first squad in March this year. He played more than 70 minutes in both of Tuchel’s first two matches in charge, against Albania and Tuesday’s opponents Latvia, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Rashford played both matches last month, scoring a late penalty in the five-star win over Serbia in Belgrade, and is hoping for further game time in Riga on Tuesday.

If he does feature, Rashford, now on loan at Barcelona, will earn his 65th cap. That is a reminder of his relative experience compared with many of his England team-mates these days, and of quite how long ago it was that an 18-year-old Rashford took international football by storm, scoring a first goal for his country not even three minutes into his debut in 2016.

That must feel a lifetime ago for Rashford.

The forward has had to reinvent himself, had to move away from his boyhood club Manchester United in order to haul his career back into his own control. It had been flatlining.

Rashford could win his 65h cap in Riga

Getty Images

At Aston Villa, on loan in the second half of last season, four goals and six assists in 17 games served as a timely reminder of his quality, of why missing out on a place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad last summer must have felt so galling for a player who was 26 at the time - an age at which many players are expected to hit their peak.

Rashford is intent on being involved in England’s World Cup tilt next summer, having played a significant a role in their qualifying campaign under Tuchel.

At Barca, who he joined this summer on a season-long loan, his career resurgence has continued.

Seven goal involvements places him top among Barca players at this stage of the season, his stats favourable to those of Ferran Torres (who has six involvements), Lamine Yamal and Raphinha (both five), and the great Robert Lewandowski (four). Things are clicking once more.

His competition on the left flank for England appears, as things stand, to amount to Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and little else. Eberechi Eze can play on the left but is chiefly a No10; most other wingers are predominantly right-sided.

He has a huge chance to play a significant role for England next summer. Tuchel, though, insists he still demands more.

“Whether he starts for us or comes off the bench, he has to constantly prove himself,” Tuchel warned Rashford in Riga.

Rashford has made an impressive start to his loan spell at Barcelona

Getty Images

“He can be one of the best in the world. The quality I see in training, the finishing with both legs and with the head, he is explosive. He is fast, he is strong in the air, so where are the limits? There are no limits, but the numbers don’t reach the potential. He needs to push himself into goal involvements. He knows that from me.”

Tuchel was placing the ball in Rashford’s court, stating publicly what he has already made clear to the Mancunian in private.

“He is young enough to take the right decisions and not let go,” said Tuchel. “Otherwise, he will be disappointed in ten years at what could have been and what he made of it.

“For [his] work-rate against the ball, I selected him. Still, he had not as many goals and not as many goal involvements as he could have. He creates quite a lot of chances, but for the quality and finishing that we see with training, he just doesn’t score enough. That’s the next step.”

Rashford has clearly taken note of the messaging from England's very honest head coach, and told ITV this week that “consistency is what I need to bring to my game”.

Deliver on that goal and a World Cup in North America will be the prize.