Expert suggests new Marcus Rashford role after what he’s just seen at Man United – ‘you can’t ignore it’
Noel Whelan has backed Marcus Rashford to be recalled by England for the World Cup after “finding his love for the game again” at Man United.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted the 24-year-old can be “one of the stars of the tournament” in Qatar.
Rashford has scored five goals and registered three assists in nine appearances across all competitions this season.
He looked set to add to that tally with a strike against Everton on Sunday (9 October) but saw his second-half goal disallowed for handball after a VAR review.
The Man United academy graduate, who has amassed 46 England caps so far, hasn’t played for the Three Lions since the Euro 2020 final last year (2021).
He managed just five goals in 32 outings in the 2021-22 season.
Whelan insisted Rashford has “found his form” again after going “stale” under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “You can’t ignore it if you’re Gareth Southgate.
“He can play through the middle and on the wing, as well, so he’d be covering two bases.
“He’s found his form, his touch, his goalscoring ability again – it’s always been there, but it had gone a bit stale for him.
“He was cutting a frustrated figure, but it looks like he’s found that love for the game again and believes in his ability again.
“When strikers start scoring every week, sometimes you can’t stop and that’s exactly what Southgate and Ten Hag would want from him.
“It’s what England need coming into a World Cup. He’s got every attribute to be one of the stars of the tournament.”
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