Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has offered his view on Marcus Rashford and his performances for England
Ian Wright has criticised Marcus Rashford’s performances for England during the March international break.
Rashford completed an unexpected loan move to Aston Villa from Manchester United last month amid interest from Barcelona and Juventus. The switch came after a tough spell under United boss Ruben Amorim, with Rashford not featuring for the Reds since their 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen on December 12 last year.
The 27-year-old forward has gone on to be instrumental in Villa‘s success under Unai Emery, contributing three assists in nine matches. His improved performances have propelled Villa into the Champions League quarter-finals, where they are set to face Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in April.
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Rashford’s minor resurgence also earned him a recall to the England squad under Thomas Tuchel. He featured in both games against Albania and Latvia during the March international break.
But popular football pundit and former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has been unimpressed with Rashford’s performances for the Three Lions. Wright, who made 33 senior appearances for England, has suggested that Tuchel should look at other options going forward.
“He [Morgan Rogers] was trying to beat them,” Wright said on his podcast Wrighty’s House. “He was trying to get crosses in and he’s done that, and that is why I thought with Marcus [Rashford] – you know what I mean?
“The ball gets to him and I’m thinking, right, yes, go, and it feels like he’s going to do it, then he stops and then he comes back. There’s something that’s stopping him from – he’s got to play like he’s going to fail.
“If I go take this guy on and he tackles me, he tackles me – but I might get past him and then when he does get past people, the actual decision is not great.
“So I think that he’s very fortunate to get those two games. But we need the Morgan Rogers’ energy who’s coming into the squad. He’s ready to go. He knows exactly where he is in his head.
“And he knows what he’s got to do. And I think that Tuchel will put even more pressure on those wide players to come on and do something.
“And that is what I’m looking forward to, that is where the excitement, what he keeps talking about is coming from, people just doing it. If Marcus carried on taking him on and made it exciting, got some crosses in, you’d think, yeah, but it just feels like, right, you’ve had two goes there, my friend. We’re going to have to bring someone else in, because again, it’s 18 months.”
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2025-03-27 19:47:31
