Marcus Rashford was often utilised as a striker by Unai Emery at Aston Villa last season
England boss Thomas Tuchel
England boss Thomas Tuchel (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Few would have backed Marcus Rashford to have a chance of playing for England at next summer’s World Cup before his loan spell at Aston Villa.
Unai Emery provided the forward with the platform he needed to regain form and rediscover his confidence.
Rashford had initially wanted a move to Barcelona at the start of the year but ultimately settled on a loan switch from Manchester United to Villa until the end of the season.
Following an impressive stint under Emery, Barcelona were happy to take Rashford on earlier this summer.
Capable of playing across the forward line, Rashford was used predominantly as a striker under Emery - an interesting tactical decision, considering the England international had mostly played off the left during his time at Old Trafford.
For his country, Rashford is also typically deployed on the left wing, a trend that has continued under current England boss Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel recalled Rashford to the national squad in March, starting him in matches against Albania and Latvia on the left.
Although Rashford missed the June internationals due to injury, he was selected again for this month’s World Cup qualifiers and started in the same wide role against Andorra.
After the 2–0 win, Tuchel insisted that Rashford - who has not scored for England in almost two years - can still shine from the left flank.
“He’s clearly a left winger,” Tuchel said. “He had the freedom today to drift inside. He had an excellent training week, and it was obvious we wanted him to start because he trained so, so well on the left side.”
Villa manager Emery, meanwhile, believed he could better exploit Rashford’s strengths by playing him through the middle rather than out wide.
Rashford essentially replaced Jhon Duran in the winter window, after the Colombian striker left for Al-Nassr.
"We needed Jhon Duran, and he helped us get a lot of points at that moment - against West Ham, Leicester [early season] - and with Rashford, it is something similar," Emery explained back in April.
"We need both players - Rashford and Watkins. The next step, if I have time, is to play them together. They did it once, with Rashford on the left side. But now we’re choosing both players to play as strikers. That is the next step I want to take. I want to practice it, to test it, but right now we don’t have enough time to do so."
In the FA Cup quarter-final against Preston North End at Deepdale, Rashford was picked ahead of Watkins, as Emery felt he was better suited to the striker role within that specific tactical setup.
“He is fitting into the system and the plan we have for him,” Emery said of Rashford. “Today, we opted to use him as a striker to maximise his qualities and boost his confidence.
“Today was a clear step forward. When he first arrived, he wasn’t training consistently and didn’t feel fully fit. But with more game time and his involvement with the national team, he’s regaining sharpness. Today confirmed his progress with us.”
After scoring twice against Preston, Rashford continued to impress for Villa and started ahead of Watkins in both Champions League quarter-final legs against Paris Saint-Germain.
Tuchel, however, appears reluctant to use Rashford as a number nine, judging by his unequivocal response when asked if the Barcelona man’s best position remains on the left following England’s unconvincing win over Andorra.
Where should Rashford play for England? Tell us here
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