Marcus Rashford has sent a message to the England squad after missing out on the provisional list. The Manchester United star was among the high-profile players who were not called up by Gareth Southgate.
The Englishman took to Instagram and shared the England squad in his story. He wrote a short caption on top and it read:
“Wishing Gareth and the boys all the best for the up and upcoming tournament.”
The Manchester United star was warned by former Chelsea man Florent Malouda earlier this month that he was close to losing his spot in the squad. He told Gambling Zone:
“Marcus Rashford’s position in the squad is in danger. I think Gareth Southgate will have to make a big decision about it. I don’t think it’s a question of quality with Rashford, we can see his talent, but he hasn’t been consistent this season for Manchester United and you need players going into tournaments in top form because they have to produce every three days. Off the ball, Rashford doesn’t work hard enough. We’ve all seen the clips of him not tracking back and covering his man for Manchester United this season. I really like Jack Grealish. I think he could be a great option on the left for England.”
The warning has turned into reality for Rashford and he has failed to make it to the provisional list.
Gareth Southgate explains Marcus Rashford’s omission
Gareth Southgate spoke to the media earlier on Tuesday and confirmed that it was a tough decision to drop Marcus Rashford. He claimed that other players had done better in the same position and said:
“These are of course difficult calls. You are talking about very good players who have been important in what we’ve done over a number of years. With Marcus, I just feel that other players in that area of the pitch had better seasons. It’s as simple as that.”
He continued to talk about out omissions like Jordan Henderson, Ben Chilwell, Reece James and more, and said:
“Hendo has given himself every chance. The determining factor is the injury he picked up at the last camp [in March]. He has missed five weeks and just hasn’t been able to get to the intensity in the game since then.”
“He’s a fantastic professional, it was a difficult call to make as he’s been so important and supportive in my time. All the boys I have spoken to: Ben [Chilwell], Marcus, and Jordan, who were all with us last time, were all incredibly professional and considering the disappointment, they dealt with it well.”
England will trim the squad by 4 more players before they head off to Germany. They’ll face Serbia in their first match on June 16.
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