Marcus Rashford mistake, Phil Foden concern – Gareth Southgate slammed for huge England decision

Marcus Rashford's brother – and agent – Dwaine Maynard aimed a sly dig at Gareth Southgate following England's disappointing 1-1 draw with Denmark. The Manchester United forward was dropped from the Three Lions squad for Euro 2024 despite being a mainstay for a few years.

While the Red Devils managed to win the FA Cup and secure Europa League qualification, Rashford struggled to impress last season. He featured 33 times in the Premier League, scoring just seven goals and only providing two assists.

The 26-year-old was given an England call-up in March but lost his place in the starting lineup. Across two friendlies, Rashford was given a 15-minute cameo off the bench in a 1-0 defeat to Brazil, and was then an unused substitute against Belgium a few days later.

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When Southgate announced his 26-man squad at the start of June, Anthony Gordon was given the nod on merit for his impressive performances at Newcastle United. However, despite being the only natural left-winger, he's yet to feature for England at the European championships.

Instead, Phil Foden, who prefers operating in central areas, has been utilised on the left flank. So far, the Manchester City star has failed to replicate the displays that earned him FWA Player of the Year last season.

On Instagram after the Three Lions' draw with Denmark, Maynard aimed a thinly veiled dig at Southgate, claiming Rashford should've gone to Germany this summer. He wrote: "It's hard to sit and watch when you honestly believe your man could make a difference!"

So, with that being said, journalists at the Manchester Evening News have argued whether or not Southgate was right to drop Rashford from the England squad for the European championships.

Tyrone Marshall

As poor as England were on Thursday, nobody could have spent the entirety of last season watching Rashford and thought he deserved to be in this squad. He didn't and therefore he wasn't.

It hasn't worked for Foden yet at this tournament but there is time for that to change and only the most one-eyed United fans would pick Rashford over Foden. Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze both enjoyed far more productive seasons than Rashford.

It is understandable why Rashford and those close to him are watching this tournament and believing he could make a difference. He had an impact in the 2022 World Cup, but he was a very different player then.

This season, he has lost his way on and off the pitch. Had Southgate included him in the squad based solely on some encouraging performances for England in previous years then he would rightly have been criticised. We can't now say that he actually got it wrong and start criticising him for that.

Rashford didn't do enough to make the England squad and on the level he produced last season he wouldn't be salvaging this for the Three Lions either. He has time to come again, but he needs to play better for his club to get back into an international squad.

Steven Railston

We briefly touched on this debate at the end of the latest Manchester is Red podcast and I argued that Rashford should have been brought to Germany because of the quality he can provide from the bench. Southgate was bold making three substitutions at once against Denmark - Watkins, Eze and Bowen came on - but none struck fear into the opponent.

Rashford didn't deserve to be on the plane. His form was awful, he scored just eight goals in all competitions and there were off-field problems, but he still offers something other players cannot. When he's sharp, he can be brilliant and he showed that in the FA Cup final.

He possesses the quality to change one-off fixtures and that's a huge asset in tournament football. Southgate might have a few regrets already and not taking Rashford could be one.

Jake Stokes

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Gareth Southgate wasn't necessarily wrong to omit Marcus Rashford from the England squad because his performances were well below par.

But, to drop the Manchester United ace and then only take one natural left-winger – in Anthony Gordon – to Euro 2024 is incredibly naive. It's even more concerning that the only 'natural left-winger' in the Three Lions camp hasn't played a single minute at the tournament.

Yes, Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze CAN play left-wing, but they're both number 10s at heart. They're not players who will run in behind and stretch the opposition backline. They're attacking midfielders who perform best when they're given the freedom to operate centrally.

At the end of the day, any manager would have had a decent case to omit Rashford from the England squad based on form – he wasn't great for the Red Devils last season. But to drop him and have no backup plan is so poor.

Lets not forget that Southgate is struggling to get a tune out of players who perform to a world-class standard for their clubs – week in, week out. Perhaps Rashford dodged a bullet after all.

Amie Wilson

While I have not agreed with a few of the decisions made by Gareth Southgate both ahead of and during Euro 2024 so far, I still do think that he was right not to include Marcus Rashford in his squad.

When he was first appointed as England manager I remembering him promising that he would select players who are showing good form for their club, which seemed like a breath of fresh air at the time. While he’s not always stuck to that, he did so with the decision to exclude Rashford.

His form for United simply hasn’t been good enough, and I think it’s the principle that Southgate should stick to. If you make an exception for one player, it’s not going to have a good impact on the squad when another is dropped due to poor form.

Phil Foden has been playing on the left so far, and has been mostly ineffective. He should be moved more centrally with the likes of Anthony Gordon, who is more natural to the left wing position, taking up the wider role.

The Newcastle man has rightly earned his place in the squad through his performances for his club over the season. If Rashford can regain that form for United over the next few months then there’s no reason he can’t earn his place in the side back, but others should be ahead of him for now.