Marcus Rashford says he is not worried by the threat to his England starting place amid competition from Jack Grealish and Phil Foden... as the Manchester United star insists subs will have a huge role to play at the Euros
* Marcus Rashford captained England in their 1-0 victory against Romania
* The forward has competition to start the Euros in Phil Foden and Jack Grealish
* Rashford believes England will have to utilise their squad at the Euros
Marcus Rashford believes it is impossible for England to conquer Europe with an unchanged starting line-up and has warned it would be delusional to think otherwise.
Gareth Southgate has much to ponder ahead of Sunday’s opening fixture against Croatia, not least who will start alongside Harry Kane in attack. For many months, it had seemed that Rashford and Raheem Sterling were certainties for those roles but that is no longer the case.
Jack Grealish’s excellent performances against Austria and Romania, coupled with the thrilling rise of Phil Foden and a timely reminder from Jadon Sancho, means Southgate has many options. But Rashford is not flustered by the threat to his place.
Marcus Rashford is not worried by the threat to his England starting place at the Euros. Jack Grealish and Phil Foden will both provide competition for Rashford
And Rashford, scorer of the only goal against Romania, has called on his team-mates to put any forthcoming disappointments to one side and be ready for their chance.
‘Don’t get me wrong, everybody wants to be in the first XI,’ said Rashford. ‘But you need a squad. You need players capable of coming on at different moments and giving that extra spark.
‘In our squad, we have that all over the pitch. So (starting) is not at the front of my mind. We go there to win a tournament. Whether or not you’re starting games, you’ve still got a role to play.
Rashford says England have talented options to come off the bench and make a difference. The Manchester United forward says he was ready to join up with the squad after a frustrating end to the domestic campaign
‘You are being deluded if you expect 11 players to win seven games in a short space of time. The squad’s going to have to be utilised.
‘I’m looking forward to it. We have a lot of young, talented players, then a mix with a few older ones who’ve played massive games for their clubs.’
Rashford endured a frustrating end to the domestic campaign when Manchester United lost the Europa League final to Villarreal, but he has assured Southgate he is physically ready to contribute and is desperate to make his mark on the European Championship.
‘I was more than ready mentally to join the team and get training again,’ Rashford added.
‘When you lose a final you want to play the next game as quickly as possible. Football is like that. The best way to recover from a big down such as losing a final is to get back among the team and play the next game.’
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