Video: United’s unwanted man reminds world of his talent with fine strike at the World Cup

Manchester United had one player in action for England against Croatia. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were controversially left out of the squad by Thomas Tuchel, and no United player was included in the first eleven. Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford both started on the bench, but only Rashford got a chance to shine as England defeated Croatia 4-2. Match Rashford replaced Anthony Gordon after 72 minutes and made a strong impression during his time on the pitch. He was played in on goal after a break, chopped back onto his right foot, and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to give England a two-goal advantage and seal the first win of the group stage. Rashford failed to complete any of his dribbles during the match, and was also unable to complete any key passes. He did manage to carry the ball forward six times, with four of these being judged as progressive, helping his team get into attacking positions. Rashford made one clearance to help his nation hold onto the win, but was poor in his duels, winning none of his three attempts. Future Rashford will hope he has done enough to earn a starting spot on Tuesday when England face Ghana in the second match of their group. With FC Barcelona refusing to pay his €30 million release clause and United so far uninterested in their loan offer, Rashford’s future is very much up in the air. It seems that United clearly want to sell the player, as he has reportedly been made available for only £40 million to any club that is not Liverpool or Manchester City. There had been rumours that Michael Carrick may be open to a reunion, but this seems highly unlikely at this stage. Marcus Rashford stats vs Croatia StatValue Goals1 Expected goals (xG)0.06 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0 Total shots1 Expected goals on target (xGOT)0.5 Shots on target1 Shots blocked0 Touches12 Unsuccessful touches1 Dribbles (successful)3 (0) Possession lost6 Total carrying distance74.7 m Carries6 Progressive carries4 Total progression40.7 m Progressive carrying distance59.3 m Longest progressive carry23.6 m Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)0 (0) Accurate passes3/5 (60%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)2/3 (67%) Passes in own half (acc.)1/2 (50%) Def. contributions1 Tackles (won)0 (0) Interceptions0 Clearances1 Blocked shots0 Recoveries2 Ground duels (won)4 (0) Aerial duels (won)1 (0) Dribbled past1 Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.