Marcus Rashford won't be pushed out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Manchester United return says Gareth Southgate
Rashford retained his place in Southgate’s England squad for the Malta and Slovakia games next weekend, one of eight forwards in Southgate’s 28-man squad
Gareth Southgate has hailed Marcus Rashford’s start to the season as “excellent”, seeking to dismiss fears that the 19-year-old will be squeezed out by Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic this season.
Rashford retained his place in Southgate’s England squad for the Malta and Slovakia games next weekend, one of eight forwards in Southgate’s 28-man squad. Although he is still eligible for the Under-21s, Southgate wants him with the seniors, and Rashford did not go to the European Under-21 Championship in Poland this summer.
“He is stronger for the summer when he had a little bit more of a break than he might have done,” Southgate said. “He used that productively. He is a really exciting player and he is only going to get stronger.”
Southgate, clearly, is a big admirer of Rashford, even as the youngster has started this season on the left. Lukaku and Ibrahimovic mean it is unlikely he will play as a centre-forward any time soon, but for Southgate that is not a problem.
“I think his performances at the beginning of the season from the left have been excellent,” Southgate said at his press conference yesterday. “I was at the game with West Ham [which United won 4-0] and he was fabulous in that game, and just needed the finishing touch. He walked off to a standing ovation.”
The fact that Rashford has played so much on the left means Southgate does not mind him doing it more often. “Yes there is talk, is he a 9, but more of his first team football has been as an 11,” Southgate explained.
“As a young player nailing down a definitive position is less important than being selected in the team and Jose clearly trusts him to play. Whether he is 7, 11, 10, 9 is less important. The opportunity to play and play in big matches like he did last year in the Europa League final and things like that is more important at this stage.”
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