Thomas Tuchel has a straightforward answer for anyone wondering why Marcus Rashford hasn’t started a single game at the 2026 World Cup: it’s not about the individual. It’s about the unit.
Speaking ahead of England’s final group stage match against Panama, the Three Lions boss laid out his thinking on the Manchester United loanee’s role. Rashford has two appearances off the bench so far, scoring once in the 4-2 win over Croatia but struggling to make an impact in the 0-0 draw with Ghana.
Anthony Gordon has gotten the nod from the start both times, and Tuchel made it clear that the decision comes down to chemistry, not talent.
Left side lock
Tuchel pointed to England’s warm-up win over Costa Rica as the moment he thought he’d solved the left flank. Gordon, along with the players around him, clicked in a way that looked repeatable.
“Marcus is in a good place, but when he started he was not as decisive as Anthony, that’s just it,” Tuchel said. “We had a very good match against Costa Rica with Anthony and the unit. It’s more a unit on the left side than it is individuals or ‘the winger didn’t do enough.’”
The problem, according to Tuchel, is that the left side as a whole hasn’t replicated that Costa Rica performance in either group game. He mentioned that when Rashford came on alongside Eberechi Eze and Djed Spence in that friendly, they also looked sharp. But that connection disappeared once the tournament started.
“It turns out we played the first match and they’re not clicking,” Tuchel said. “I’m not even sure why, but it was not the same amount of connection, not the same amount of penetration, not the same amount of verticality, and this was the same in the second match. I don’t know the reason for it. I still trust all of them.”
Super sub role
Tuchel also made a point that Rashford has been effective off the bench, which makes it harder to justify changing a lineup that hasn’t been broken in any dramatic way. England hasn’t lost yet, even if the performances have been uneven.
“Marcus is just also very good from the bench, and it’s sometimes nice to hold someone back,” Tuchel said. “He struggled to have the same influence for us from the start, and yet from the bench he was always pushing.”
That last part — about output — has been a recurring theme around Rashford in recent years. Tuchel acknowledged it directly: “I know many times we spoke about him and you said, ‘You trust him so much, but what is the output?’ True, but he tries and he’s there.”
Future in flux
Rashford’s loan at Barcelona ended with 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 appearances, but the club didn’t trigger the €30 million purchase option. United is ready to sell the academy graduate permanently this summer, but finding a buyer has been complicated. Barcelona passing on him didn’t help.
There’s interest from Premier League clubs and abroad, according to reports, and a strong World Cup showing would only help United’s negotiating position. But so far, Rashford hasn’t had the minutes to make that case.
He’ll turn 29 this year. His time at Old Trafford looks finished. What happens next depends partly on how these next few weeks go.
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