England’s Surprise Exclusion of Marcus Rashford from Euro 2024 Squad Questioned
The decision to exclude Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford from England’s preliminary 33-man squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament has been met with criticism from former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel.
Mikel, a veteran of international football with Nigeria, believes that Rashford’s extensive experience at the highest level would have been invaluable for England’s campaign in Germany.
“There’s no Marcus Rashford, there’s no Jadon Sancho, those are big calls, are England going to regret that?” Mikel questioned in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT. “Marcus Rashford has played for England, he’s an established international player, sometimes in these tournaments you have to take out the performance throughout the season, it comes down to experience, who has done it.”
Rashford, who has 60 caps for the Three Lions and has scored 17 goals for his country, was a notable omission from Gareth Southgate’s squad, which will be trimmed down to 26 players for the tournament.
The 26-year-old’s exclusion comes despite his contribution to England’s successful qualification campaign, where he featured in six of their eight matches and scored in wins against North Macedonia and Italy.
Southgate, in his explanation for the decision, cited the performances of other players in Rashford’s position as the primary factor, stating, “These are difficult calls. With Marcus I just feel other players in that area have had better seasons. It’s as simple as that.”
However, Mikel believes that Rashford’s international experience could have been crucial for England, especially in the high-pressure environment of a major tournament.
“He’s done it at the international level, in my opinion, I thought it was the wrong decision because… you go into this tournament and it just clicks for that player all of a sudden, because he’s been there, he’s done it,” Mikel said. “He’s played in these kind of games, he knows how to play these kind of games. Is that going to be a big call? Because when Rashford is on fire, he plays really well, so we’ll wait and see.”
As England prepare for their Euro 2024 campaign, the debate over Rashford’s exclusion is sure to continue, with fans and pundits alike questioning whether Southgate’s decision will prove to be a costly one for the national team.
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