Thomas Tuchel changes his tune on Marcus Rashford as training behaviour emerges
Marcus Rashford has given Thomas Tuchel food for thought ahead of the World Cup
Marcus Rashford impressed against Uruguay(Image: DeFodi Images, DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Marcus Rashford has gone up in Thomas Tuchel’s estimation after impressing him during England training.
Having previously dished out some tough love, Tuchel’s attitude appeared to notably soften following Rashford’s display against Uruguay, potentially boosting his chances of securing a place in the World Cup starting line-up. Last October, Tuchel delivered a stern message to the Manchester United forward, casting doubt on whether he would realise his potential as a world-class performer.
He said: “Potential is a dangerous word with high-level sports, because you have to reach your personal best on a regular basis – that is demanded on this kind of level and that is the challenge for him. It is not a question of talent.”
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Those comments came before England’s victory in Latvia, where Rashford was notably relegated to the bench while Anthony Gordon started and scored in a 5-0 triumph. But Tuchel decided to start with Rashford against Uruguay after being impressed with his attitude and work rate on the training ground.
The German said: “He tries. He tries hard. He hasn’t started a game for a long, long time. So we gave him this because I spoke to him.
“I was very impressed with the training yesterday. It was a defensive training and he was very strong with Djed Spence on the side.
“Understanding how to initiate the press for us. He worked hard and I think he worked very hard. He just can’t get the goal that he maybe needs to be in full confidence. I’m happy with the way he tried and it was a constant threat.”
Rashford’s most recent England goal came against Serbia last September, while Tuchel may be somewhat harsh in his assessment of his playing time at Barcelona, given he last started on March 7.
However, Rashford has now returned to Tuchel’s favour, with Dom Solanke also earning plaudits alongside James Garner, whose adaptability – capable of operating at right-back and in midfield – could make him a late contender for selection.
Everton manager David Moyes has been a vocal advocate for Garner, and Tuchel has shown a notable interest in the player. The England squad approached the Uruguay fixture viewing it as an audition, with a sense that individual performances carried greater weight than the collective result.
Tuchel has indicated he got precisely what he was looking for from the Uruguay match and the preceding training sessions. Players were required to stake their claim before the established stars returned for the Japan fixture.
Tuchel added: “I was looking forward to that match, I tell you. I was looking forward because we had some good training sessions and the group was a lively group. We said to the group today do we expect everything to be perfect? Yeah, maybe yes, because we always do.
“But we are smart enough to understand. you play for the first time, you may be nervous. And you have a lot of information to take in over the last days. So it will maybe take a while and the opponents, they know what they are doing. They are playing in their best formation.
“So just keep going, stay positive. And they did. I liked the group a lot. I was excited to coach them. I was very happy when I did it. It seemed like we got a win for it.
“But it was good. It was nice. And now, of course, all the guys are now in the dressing room. It was a good atmosphere. It was nice to see everyone back and we need to make sure that they are ready now against Japan.”
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