Thomas Tuchel cannot avoid repeating the same decisions that Sir Gareth Southgate made with one Manchester United player amid England’s World Cup campaign.
England are top of Group L after their first two matches against Croatia and Ghana and the Three Lions are within touching distance of the World Cup knockout rounds.
The Three Lions sent a statement of intent with their 4-2 win over Croatia in their World Cup opener before walking away with a lacklustre 0-0 draw against Ghana.
Marcus Rashford featured in the aforementioned matches for England, but his role has shown Thomas Tuchel falling into the same mistake as Sir Gareth Southgate.
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand claims Darren Fletcher summed up his ‘thinking’ about England vs Ghana after WhatsApp message
Thomas Tuchel Manager / Head Coach of England looks dejected during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Ghana at Boston Stadium on June 23, 2026 in Foxborough, United States.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
What’s YOUR message to Marcus Rashford after Barcelona’s deal for Anthony Gordon?
Should Man Utd use this reality check to try and bring Rashford back?
Sir Gareth Southgate’s approach to Marcus Rashford in a past World Cup should be a wake-up call for Thomas Tuchel
Marcus Rashford featured at his first World Cup tournament under Sir Gareth Southgate after he made the England squad for the 2018 competition in Russia.
The 28-year-old Manchester United talent was early into his senior Red Devils playing career at the time and Southgate took a different approach with Rashford.
More United News
Rashford played in six of England’s seven matches at the 2018 World Cup, but the Three Lions international only started once over the course of the tournament.
Southgate, who stepped down as England boss after Euro 2024, argued that Rashford was a key substitute option for the Three Lions when he was needed.
“When you are attacking, you need some structure to your play,” he said, as per The Guardian in 2018.
“You can put attacking players on in various positions, but you can lose shape and be counterattacked. Against Tunisia, we kept control and the composure, but the guys who came on had a different threat.
“The freshness of Marcus and Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] brought energy and a different threat to the one we’d posed.”
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford has strong ‘argument’ for England role that Thomas Tuchel cannot ignore, claims Rio Ferdinand
Marcus Rashford evidently does not want to return to Man Utd – There is no way back for him surely?!
🪄
Getty Images
Marcus Rashford’s role must now be flipped under Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup after Sir Gareth Southgate’s past thinking
Rashford has been limited with his minutes in England’s opening two World Cup matches this summer under Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Barcelona player, whose loan deal at the Camp Nou will expire at the end of June, made an impact coming off the bench against Croatia after he netted.
But Rashford played an even smaller cameo role against Ghana and the Manchester United youth academy product struggled to change the tide of the match.
Anthony Gordon has been Tuchel’s preferred pick for the left wing and the soon-to-be Barcelona winger has not produced the results that the England boss would want.
Rashford’s presence on the pitch as a starter, which he later became under Southgate, would prove more useful for Tuchel than being a ‘super-sub’ option.
The final Group L match against Panama on Saturday is Tuchel’s best — and last — chance to truly experiment with Rashford over Anthony Gordon in the England XI.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox