Ian Wright has told England boss Thomas Tuchel to drop Marcus Rashford after he was “fortunate” to be handed starts against Albania and Latvia.
Rashford was recalled by Tuchel for the German’s first Three Lions squad and started both of the World Cup qualifiers on the left wing having impressed on loan at Aston Villa from Manchester United.
Tuchel urged “more dribbling and aggression” from Rashford after signs of promise against Albania, but the forward again looked tentative vs Latvia, and Wright believes the new boss should look to blood fresh talent in his next squad having been encouraged by Morgan Rogers’ full debut in the second game.
Speaking on Wrighty’s House, the ex-Arsenal star initially praised Rogers before giving a damning assessment of Rashford’s performances on his England return.
“He [Rogers] was trying to beat them,” Wright said. “He was trying to get crosses in and he’s done that, and that is why I thought with Marcus [Rashford] – you know what I mean?
“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.”
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Danny Mills – who won 19 caps at international level – also believes Rashford failed to take his opportunity to nail down a long-term spot.
“He was given an opportunity by Thomas Tuchel,” Mills told Foot Italia.
“He looked bright and lively in the games he’s played, but he didn’t really produce and take that opportunity. Sometimes, you just need something to happen in order to get your confidence back. I think he tried hard, but the final ball and end product wasn’t quite there for him.
“It’s never easy to perform when you’re under a huge spotlight. But Marcus Rashford has to take some accountability for that. When you’re not playing well, and you’re appearing in the public eye or active on social media, you make life difficult for yourself.”
