Thomas Tuchel makes major Marcus Rashford statement with decision on Man Utd outcast

Marcus Rashford has put himself in line for the World Cup after making his “big career change.” England boss Thomas Tuchel underlined his admiration for Rashford by giving him a huge vote of confidence and he is the only Manchester United player in the squad to face Andorra and Serbia.

Rashford, 27, is of course on loan from his parent club to Barcelona and it is that brave switch which has really caught Tuchel’s eye and is the reason why he has actually included him as one of three players who can play wide left. Arsenal new boy Eberechi Eze and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon are also in a fiercely competitive area but Rashford may just be in pole position.

Tuchel says he was impressed when he recalled Rashford last season and is now determined to take his game to another level by joining Barcelona on a season-long loan. Tuchel said: “I think he had a very good camp. He tried very, very hard to be the best version of himself in the first camp. He was in a good moment in Aston Villa.

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“I wanted to encourage him and give him as a positive feedback, gave him this camp and the call-up. He did very well. He missed the second camp for us. Now he made a big change, into a new football culture, new country.

“But he started already matches for Barcelona and I wanted to keep him going. It's the one position where we have three players. After long discussions we decided to take three players on this position.

“It's Ebs, Anthony and Marcus. I think Marcus gives us one-on-ones, he gives us the finishing ability, with both feet. He gives us the body and the speed to intimidate opponents and make the difference. It's on him to keep that going.”

Tuchel pulled surprises by excluding Trent Alexander-Arnold, there was no place for Kyle Walker who may get stuck on 96 caps and no recall for Jack Grealish. But in terms of the inclusions, Djed Spence gets the call while Elliot Anderson also got his first senior call-up with the specific idea that England are looking for a new midfield anchorman to give Declan Rice more freedom. Adam Wharton is also in.

Tuchel said: “It will depend on how Adam presents himself and depend how Elliot presents himself. They now have a big chance. They are a bit different players. It depends who we play against. Will the structure be the same against Andorra and in Belgrade? The physicality and the individual quality and the style of the teams we play will be very different - what we face in Belgrade and in Birmingham. Also, we want to see them.

“We value training very highly so we will take this decision when we come to the match. I think all four No.6 and No.8 players we chose can play with each other. We are open for any mix. I don’t want to give too much away because it’s pretty much open.”

Meanwhile, Tuchel also admitted that his mission to check out the United States at the Club World Cup this summer has left him with plenty of food for thought ahead of next year. Tuchel added: “It was unbelievably hot. It was very, very hot and very hostile conditions to train and to play. It’s one thing to know it, it’s another thing to feel it, it’s another thing to watch it. It’s another thing to play in it.

“So it was basically just…confirmation of what we thought it would be. The distances will be huge, it will be humid, it will be very, very hot.”

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