The accelerated pursuit of Jadon Sancho by Manchester United is partly explained by the chronic state of Marcus Rashford’s skeletal health.
Rashford concedes an operation to cure his troublesome shoulder is under consideration and a decision will be made when England’s involvement at the Euros ends.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure if I need it yet. I’ll take it as it comes. I’ve got a few weeks off to just relax and decide what I’m going to do.”
Rashford spent the majority of last season nursing back and ankle injuries as well as his shoulder and saw his form dip as a result. Though he started England’s final friendly before the Euros against Romania, he has featured only as a substitute in the tournament.
“Obviously I am not performing at my best and what [standard] I know I can perform to,” he said. “Whatever that is down to, it doesn’t really matter because it has been going on since early in the season. I managed to get through the season with United.
“I think I had 36 goal involvements so I can’t look back at the year and say ‘hmm, I should have taken time off to do this and do that.’ That’s just not the way I look at things. I just want to be available for every game.”
To reach the final England must negotiate four games in 12 days, starting with the last-16 match against Germany at Wembley next Tuesday. Rashford is determined to see it through.
“To get to this stage where I am now, it was a massive aim of mine back at the beginning of the season,” he said. “So I’m happy. I’m prepared mentally and physically for the games.”
If Rashford’s impressive positivity is shared by the group, England might yet go all the way. The prospect of facing Germany holds few fears for him. “It is a game with a lot of top players. They are the ones you look forward to, testing yourself against the best.
“We know to win the tournament we are going to have to beat the best teams. It is as simple as that. So we have to be up for it, be ready, go there and try to win the game. There is no point fearing the past. You can’t go back and change it. What we can change is the result of the next game and put ourselves in the best possible position to win.”
The criticism levelled at the team has not penetrated the England bubble. There is no angst about the lack of goals or creativity, no debate about tactics or method. Rather, as Rashford explained it, the squad is wired to a wider message delivered by Southgate from the outset intended to shed any sense of inferiority bred by decades of disappointment in the international arena.
“We’ve improved massively against the bigger teams, getting better results. Before that, we were sometimes playing alright, but most of the game they were dominating. It was difficult for us to get goal scoring opportunities, and the game would usually be one or two-nil to them. They’d be in control.
“That was one of the things Gareth wanted to change. We wanted to start pushing ourselves and trying to beat these big nations. We’ve definitely progressed in those terms. We want to win the ‘England Way’, show some good football, work hard for each other and score goals. When we have been at our best it is when we have been scoring goals and keeping clean sheets.”
More from i on Euro 2020
- England aren’t ‘rubbish’ and Southgate isn’t a ‘fraud’ – we just need a bit of patience
- What the Premier League could learn from Euro 2020’s controversy-free referees
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola stunt could change the face of football sponsorship
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3xIflto
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