It came as a surprise for many when new England boss Thomas Tuchel decided to call up Marcus Rashford for the World Cup qualifiers.
Gareth Southgate overlooked the Manchester United star due to his poor club form and Ruben Amorim decided to send the Mancunian out on loan to Aston Villa due to attitude problems.
And the 27-year-old has shown signs of life at Villa, which prompted the German to not only call him up to the Three Lions squad but also hand him a chance from the start.
But his return to the national team did not go as planned. The Carrington graduate lasted 74 minutes before being replaced by Anthony Gordon.
Rashford’s England return did not go as planned
During his stay on the pitch, the left winger did not manage a shot on goal and in general, failed to trouble the Albanian defenders.
Tuchel was asked about what he felt about Rashford’s performance upon his return to the team. “I think they (Rashford and Phil Foden) know what I want from them,” Tuchel was quoted as saying ahead of Monday’s qualifier against Latvia.
“I’ve spoken to both of them, also in front of the group. They know that I appreciate the effort, I think especially off the ball.
The new coach also added that while Rashford showed spirit off the ball, his teammates often overlooked him in favour of choosing another option and the chemistry between teammates will develop over time.
Interestingly, the former Chelsea manager also claimed that unlike Foden, who is not in the best of form, the United No 10 is not short of confidence since his move to Villa. As a result, he expects the versatile attacker to come good sooner rather than later.
“Marcus had a lot of runs when we had the ball where we did not see him, where we did not use him. He was a little bit unlucky maybe with the timing and from time to time we oversaw him.
Rashford still has Tuchel’s backing
“Marcus is the opposite. He found his rhythm and since January, in a new club, new environment was very impressive and that has not changed because of 60 or 70 minutes that were difficult against Albania. Not at all.
“So, we addressed it, they know it. They’re very well aware of it and from there we continue. It’s already gone, in the past.”
Unlike Tuchel and Unai Emery, Amorim does not have the same trust in the England international and he has already made it clear to INEOS that he does not want him back at United.
Villa have a buy option but should they choose not to trigger that option, the Red Devils will look to earn as much as £60 million from his sale with Barcelona among his long-term admirers.
Feature image Julian Finney via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
