It’s safe to say that England and Manchester United go together like tea and biscuits.
The only Three Lions side to ever win the World Cup boasted three Red Devils, namely Nobby Stiles, Sir Bobby Charlton and John Connelly.
Of the modern-era, David Beckham became perhaps the most marketable English footballer we’ve ever seen while Wayne Rooney was his country’s record goalscorer before Harry Kane became their leading light.
It’s perhaps a sign of the times, therefore, that Thomas Tuchel’s England squad only consisted of one United player and technically he’s not even at the club moment. That’s Aston Villa’s Marcus Rashford.
Sadly, he didn’t have the best of starts under the new management.
Marcus Rashford’s England return in numbers
It wasn’t long before new Man United manager Ruben Amorim decided he didn’t want to use Rashford.
As a result, he was excluded from match-day squads and sent out on loan to Villa in the winter transfer window.
While the 27-year-old has only started two Premier League games since moving on a temporary basis to Villa Park, Tuchel named him in his first England squad since taking over from Gareth Southgate.
Explaining why Rashford was recalled, Tuchel said last week: “I had the feeling that we need to reward him now, we need to feel him, he needs to be close to me, that he does not fall back into old routines. He stepped up his game impressively [at Villa] against the ball. This is the most important point for him – the intensity after ball loss.”
Anthony Gordon was probably the favourite to start on the left wing against Albania on Friday but it was Rashford who was handed the place instead.
Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly stake his claim for a prominent role moving forward with the manager slating both he and Phil Foden after the game: “Both of our wingers were not as impactful as normally they can be,” the boss stated.
Indeed, the Villa loanee left the pitch in the 74th minute having made just one key pass, not offered a shot and lost eight of his 12 duels.
It was certainly a talking point to recall Rashford to the squad but there are better options the manager must call upon, chiefly Gordon.
|
Rashford vs Albania |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
74 |
|
Touches |
55 |
|
Accurate passes |
35/41 (85%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Accurate crosses |
0/1 |
|
Shots |
0 |
|
Successful dribbles |
3/5 |
|
Ground duels won |
4/12 |
|
Possession lost |
13x |
|
Fouls |
3 |
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Stats via Sofascore. |
|
So, Rashford might find it a struggle to start again but he’s not the only United player who should be fearful.
A bad night for Man United’s English contingent
At the European Championships, Southgate actually ignored Rashford for his squad but there was a place for both Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw.
Mainoo ultimately ended up becoming a key player through the tournament while Shaw spent most of the competition injured, not appearing until the quarter-final win over Switzerland.
Well, since that moment, the left-back has been injured again and it would be a surprise if he’s named in an England squad again.
The left side of defence has been a problem for England but it’s a position that’s beginning to sort itself. Had he not been injured then Newcastle’s Lewis Hall was primed and ready for a start. Instead, it was Myles Lewis-Skelly who earned his debut.
The 18-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise this season, not making his senior bow until September last year. His England call was well deserved and his performance against Albania in the 2-0 win was fitting of the hype.
He won the Player of the Match award having scored the opener, darting in behind the defence and latching onto the end of a sublime Jude Bellingham pass to find the back of the net.
“He was amazing in camp. Full of confidence, full of humour. You see everything on the pitch, off the pitch. He does it with a natural confidence. That’s how he plays football. Full of courage and quality. He was decisive and opened this game for us.” – Tuchel on Lewis-Skelly.
Such a fine performance from the teenager, along with Hall waiting in the background means that Shaw’s England days may now be over.
The same could be said for Harry Maguire who wasn’t in this squad due to injury. That said, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Tuchel ignored him when he was fit.
That’s because England now have better options. Marc Guehi and John Stones were the first choice pairing at the Euros and are likely to be key under the new regime again, even if it was Ezri Konsa and debutant Dan Burn who started at Wembley on Friday night.
While Albania didn’t cause many issues, both more than looked the part and crucially for how Tuchel wants to play, they were good on the ball, carrying it forward into midfield areas with purpose.
Burn was notably impressive, boasting a whopping 153 touches and completing a sizeable 135 passes. He also very nearly scored, hitting the bar from a corner.
Konsa, on the other hand, was equally good, amassing 125 touches, 111 passes and winning all four of his ground duels.
With Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah also in the squad, Maguire is only slipping further down the pecking order, just as Shaw is.
While Tuchel isn’t completely obtuse to the idea of including experienced players – Jordan Henderson being a case in point – he must now look beyond the £340k-per-week duo.
Lewis-Skelly and Burn, in particular, have shown there’s value elsewhere. They’d be lucky to add to their current haul of England caps.
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