Marcus Rashford, forward for Aston Villa, has been included in Thomas Tuchel’s first squad as England manager.
Rashford’s last appearance for England came in a friendly against Brazil in March 2024. Since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United in January, he has impressed, although he has yet to score. However, he has provided four assists as he works on getting his career back on track.
The 27-year-old, who has earned 60 caps for England and scored eight goals, had fallen out of favor with former manager Gareth Southgate after a dip in form at Manchester United.
“Marcus is on the right path,” Tuchel said to England’s media. “We were convinced that now is the right time to call him up. He has had a significant impact recently for Aston Villa. I was really impressed by his defensive work, his desire to be a great teammate, and his consistent energy. There’s no doubt about his talent, but seeing him so decisive and physically involved made me feel it was the right moment to bring him in and give him the extra push to stay at this level.”
Rashford had been left out of 12 consecutive matches for Manchester United before opting for a loan spell at Villa. United’s manager Ruben Amorim had even hinted that he would rather choose 63-year-old goalkeeper Jorge Vital over Rashford. He was also excluded from the Euro 2024 squad, where England lost to Spain in the final, and missed the 2024-25 Nations League campaign.
In 2020, while Tuchel was at Paris Saint-Germain, he described Rashford as a “big threat” and humorously noted he was “a bit annoying” before a Champions League match against Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Villa teammate Ollie Watkins has been in outstanding form this season, scoring 14 goals and providing 12 assists, helping Villa reach the quarter-finals of both the Champions League and the FA Cup. However, he suffered a minor knee injury during the 3-0 victory over Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday.
