Why is Marcus Rashford not in the England squad?
Marcus Rashford is not in the England squad for Euro 2024 – so why is he not involved this summer?
Marcus Rashford was not included on the list when England manager Gareth Southgate named a 33-man preliminary squad for Euro 2024 in late May.
Southgate will need to trim that selection down to 26 for the tournament in Germany, which kicks off on June 14, but Rashford's omission from his provisional picks shows the Manchester United forward is not currently in his thoughts.
Rashford was handed his England debut by Roy Hodgson in 2016, but most of the 26-year-old's 60 caps have come under Southgate and he has been in the squads for the last four major tournaments with the Three Lions.
The Manchester-born forward has scored 17 goals for England, with 16 of those coming under Southgate. He netted three at the 2022 World Cup and was on target twice in Euro 2024 qualifiers last year.
Previously a favourite of the England manager, his omission from the Euro 2024 squad has caused some controversy. So why is there no place for the 26-year-old?
"These are of course difficult calls," Southgate said in a press conference when asked about the exclusion of Rashford and former Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.
"You are talking about very good players who have been important in what we've done over a number of years.
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"With Marcus, I just feel that other players in that area of the pitch had better seasons. It's as simple as that."
And it is, really, as simple as that. Rashford endured a disappointing 2023/24 season for Manchester United and does not merit selection for England on current form.
Having hit 30 goals in 56 games for United in 2022/23, he managed only eight in 43 in 2023/24. Performances have also been poor and based on what he has done on the pitch for his club over the past 10 months, Southgate has made the correct call.
Rashford reacted to his England snub on social media. "Wishing Gareth and the boys all the best for the up and coming tournament," he wrote.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.