Marcus Rashford has spent the 2026 World Cup as England’s most dangerous backup plan. Two appearances off the bench. One goal. Zero starts. And after a 0-0 draw with Ghana that felt like the team ran out of ideas, the question is getting harder to ignore: why isn’t he playing?
Rio Ferdinand is asking it out loud now. On his podcast, Ferdinand said he was surprised Rashford didn’t start against Ghana, especially after the impact he made against Croatia. Rashford came on in that opener and scored the fourth goal in a 4-2 win. Ferdinand called him the best player on the pitch in those minutes.
“I thought he would have just used that again because it worked so well,” Ferdinand said. “Rashford got 10 minutes, 12 minutes the rest of the time. Morgan Rogers came on, he did a little bit here. But we can’t expect the substitutes every game to be pulling us out of it.”
Ferdinand isn’t the only one watching this with some confusion. Rashford is coming off a strong loan spell at Barcelona — 14 goals and 14 assists — but Barcelona passed on the €30 million option to buy him. Manchester United is looking to move him this summer too. INEOS wants to sell. A good World Cup could drive up his price, but he can’t do that from the bench.
Fitness concerns or caution?
England manager Thomas Tuchel has given different looks in two games. Against Croatia, he used Rashford and Bukayo Saka off the bench together and it worked. Against Ghana, Saka started and Rashford didn’t get on until the 83rd minute. The attack looked flat. A few close chances didn’t drop. It ended 0-0.
Ferdinand acknowledged there might be fitness stuff going on behind the scenes. Tuchel might be managing minutes. But with England already through to the knockout rounds after a win over Croatia and a draw with Ghana, the Panama game on Saturday is a chance to test things. Ferdinand thinks that’s the moment.
“The next game is against Panama,” Ferdinand said. “Do you need to take any risks if there are injury situations? I think the first knockout game, that’s when you know who he feels are his best team.”
Right now, it’s not clear if Rashford is in that group. He tied the record for most substitute appearances in World Cup history during the Ghana match, and that’s not the kind of record a player his age wants to hold. He’ll be 29 next season. He needs to play.
If Saka’s shot against Ghana goes in, maybe we’re having a different conversation. But it didn’t. And England’s next game against Panama is a chance for Tuchel to show he trusts the guys who can change a game. Rashford has been that guy before. The question is whether he’ll get the chance to be it again before the knockout rounds start.
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