by Gareth Southgate said. When the England manager announced his squad for the Wembley friendlies with Brazil and Belgium, he revealed that Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish faced competition for their Euro 2024 places from the next generation of wide forwards – specifically Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer. There was also a prominent name check for Jarrod Bowen.
As the dust settled on the international window, which Southgate defined by injury chaos and the usual debate about who advanced their claims or hurt them, it was easy to go back to those words. And to process another round of them which, for Rashford in particular, was not exciting.
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It was a testing couple of games for Rashford, a player who seems to only deal in the wildest of extremes. Southgate preferred Gordon on the left in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Brazil and liked the way the Newcastle player impressed on his debut. Rashford came on in the 75th minute and as he struggled, his involvement made for an ugly watch, loaded with poor finishing and turnovers.
Southgate started Phil Foden on the left against Belgium, Bowen on the right, the brilliant duo. When it came time for substitutes and England 2-1 ahead, Rashford didn’t get the call. Southgate brought James Maddison into the No. 1 role. 10, retiring the excellent Kobbie Mainoo and dropping Jude Bellingham back alongside Declan Rice in the 4-2-3-1. Then it was Gordon for Bowen, the former going left, Foden switching to the right, although he had continued license to roam inside, and Ollie Watkins for Ivan Toney up front.
Maddison and Watkins were instrumental in Bellingham’s last-gasp equalizer and Southgate highlighted the impact of all the attacking changes, along with Bowen’s “excellent game”. Palmer’s participation was only denied due to fitness concerns.
So where was Rashford next, Southgate was asked. Was the Manchester United player vulnerable? “Well, I wanted to see Gordon,” Southgate replied. “Marcus was successful in the first game. But I wanted to see Gordon again [against Belgium]. I thought Maddison coming forward would be able to make an impact and Bowen had a really good camp as well. So there is competition for places. I said when I named the squad that there is competition for places in those wide areas.
“It’s a shame that Palmer missed so much training that we couldn’t … get him into the game, in the condition he was in, after missing most of the week. We weren’t 100% sure what we would get. Although we knew Gordon and Maddison we knew. I wouldn’t rule Palmer out of that equation either.”
Sometimes, it can be so much about what a manager doesn’t say when he has a direct question. In this case, Southgate barely tackled Rashford’s situation. There was certainly a contrast when Grealish, who missed the squad through injury, was accused of being out of the picture.
“He’s definitely not out of the picture,” Southgate said. “I spoke to him before I named the squad. He was back training but I didn’t think for these games he would be at a physical level to be able to compete. But as I said when I named this squad, Gordon and Bowen are pushing those guys. And Palmer.”
What also felt significant was Southgate’s reaction to the suggestion that Rashford’s unused status against Belgium was due to his minor knock. “No,” he said. “I wanted to see Gordon again. I thought it had an excellent impact on the first game. And I thought Maddison coming into that area could open us up a bit.”
Maddison was desperate to get going, having kicked his heels on the bench against Brazil. And he wanted to play with Bellingham and Foden, not just one of them. That’s how it worked out. All three would probably cite the No. 1 role. 10 as their favorite choice. But Maddison says they showed they could work together. Southgate has previously used the left.
“Jude went a little deeper,” Maddison said. “Phil is very strong from left and right and can flow. It’s not like we all stood in line in the middle. If you have smart players, you don’t get in each other’s way as long as you have the right patterns. A couple of times I went a bit deeper and I was going to Phil in the No 10 position.
“How am I on the bench? The first thing I would say is very, very, very grumpy. But when you accept it … I have experience now. On the odd occasion when I was younger, I would drift. I would be mad. Now that I’m older, I just evaluate the game and see where I can make an impact.
“I came to see that there was a lot of space between the lines, where I like to play. So I was thinking: ‘Come on, Gareth …’ Their midfield started really strong but they looked tired and I knew I would be able to make an impact. So I studied the small pockets, I succeeded and I managed to put them to work.”
How Southgate sets up his three-man line behind the striker at the European Championship this summer will be hotly debated – Bukayo Saka, who has withdrawn from the squad due to injury, remains first choice on the right. Could the manager’s handling of Rashford be an attempt to draw more from him?
It has often been a tough season for Rashford, with controversies surrounding a few ill-advised nights out and a significant drop in numbers and form from 2022-23. The talent only ended in fits and starts and yet a truism endures. It is a very dangerous game to write off.
