England’s 1-0 defeat of Switzerland in a friendly match on Tuesday night was not one that will live in the memory for a long time. The Three Lions were poor, especially in the first half.
However, one player who may well remember the game better than others is England striker Marcus Rashford, who scored the only goal of the game in second half.
The Manchester United youngster has now scored in consecutive matches for the Three Lions and once again showed his potential in front of goal.
A mixed international break for Rashford
Marcus Rashford is definitely still learning and it understandable he still makes poor decisions at just 20. The youngster has definitely displayed both the positives and negatives of his game in the current international break.
Against Spain at the weekend, he scored a goal, but then went on to miss two very good chances. With more experience, he may well take those big chances in the future.
The positives far outweighed the negatives though. Rashford was getting in the positions to score and he looked lively in both games. The game against Switzerland he looked lively despite receiving very scant service from his teammates.
Still struggling for first-team football at United
Rashford is a central striker, yet he has played out wide on numerous occasions for Manchester United. The simple reason is that Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho finds it hard to drop first-choice striker Romelu Lukaku from his starting line-up.
It seems unlikely that Rashford will ever displace Lukaku, as United’s first choice striker. That means he has been shoehorned into the team out wide, a position in which he is far less effective.
Many observers including Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher have suggested that Rashford may need to leave United to fulfil his potential. Looking at it from an objective view, he is right.
Rashford is unlikely to develop his game in Manchester with Lukaku blocking his path to regular first-team football. He is a local lad and it probably would be a difficult decision to leave the club, but it may be what he has to do for the sake of his career.
The striker is still young, so he is unlikely to be rushing into a move anytime soon. However, if he continues to miss out on starting games for the Red Devils, then leaving is something he will have to consider.
Italian giants Juventus have reportedly shown an interest in signing the striker, while a loan move to North West rivals Everton was also mooted in the summer.
At Manchester United for now
For now, Rashford needs to keep working hard and learn as much as he can at United. The Red Devils face a tricky trip to Watford on Saturday, a game United are odds of 10/11 to win.
Unfortunately, for Rashford, the young striker will take no part in the game after his dismissal for an altercation with Burnley’s Phil Bardsley last time out in a 2-0 win for United.
When the youngster returns, it is uncertain if he will be starting for Mourinho’s team or not. If he does start then it is likely to out wide, unless Lukaku picks up an injury or a suspension himself.
However, the striker has shown enough in his last two international appearances to suggest that he is on the right track to fulfilling his potential, even if that is not with Manchester United.
Will Marcus Rashford have to leave United to fulfil his potential?
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