Marcus Rashford reportedly impressed Thomas Tuchel behind the scenes (Images: DeFodi Images, DeFodi Images, Getty Images)
Marcus Rashford has further raised the praises of manager Thomas Tuchel after impressing in England training. Tuchel, who has previously been harshly critical of Rashford, appears to have softened his stance following Rashford’s performance against Uruguay, which could increase his chances of earning him a starting spot at the World Cup.
Last October, Tuchel issued a frank warning to the Manchester United outcast, casting doubt on his ability to develop as a world-class talent. “Possibility is a dangerous word in high-level sport, because you have to reach personal bests on a regular basis. That’s what you need at this kind of level, and that’s the challenge for him. It’s not about talent.”
The comments came ahead of England’s victory in Latvia, where Anthony Gordon started and found the back of the net in a 5-0 rout, while Rashford was conspicuously relegated to the bench.
However, manager Tuchel chose to start Rashford against Uruguay after being impressed by his dedication and application during training.
The German said: “He tries. He tries hard. He hasn’t started a game for a long time. So I talked to him and I gave him this.”
“I was very impressed with his training yesterday, it was a defensive training and he was very strong with Jed Spence on his side.
“He understands how to press for us. He worked hard and I think he worked very hard. He probably can’t score the goals he needs with confidence. I’m happy with the way he tries and it was always a threat.”
Rashford’s most recent goal for England came against Serbia last September.
Nevertheless, he is now back in Tuchel’s favor, with Dominic Solanke also praised along with James Garner, and his versatility (he can play at right-back and midfield) could make him a candidate for second-half selection.
Everton manager David Moyes has been an outspoken supporter of Garner, with Tuchel also showing a huge interest in the player.
England manager had special praise for Rashford after the match against Uruguay (Image: Eddie Keogh – The FA via Getty Images)
England went into the match against Uruguay as an audition, feeling that their individual performances were more important than the overall result.
Tuchel has suggested he got exactly what he was looking for from the match against Uruguay and the training sessions leading up to it.
Players were expected to stake their rights before established stars returned to play against Japan.
Tuchel said, “I can tell you that I was looking forward to that match. We practiced well and the group was full of energy, so I was looking forward to it.”
“We said this to the group today: Do we expect everything to be perfect? Well, it probably is, because we always do.
“But we are smart enough to understand. Players playing for the first time will be nervous and there will be a lot of information to absorb in the last few days.
“So it’s probably going to take some time and the opponents know what they’re doing. They’re playing in their best formation, so just keep moving forward and stay positive, and they did that.”
“I really liked this group. I was excited to coach them. I was so happy when I got to coach them. It looked like we won, but it was good. It was good.”
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