Rashford Named In Tuchel’s First England Squad

Aston Villa forward Marcus Rashford has been named in Thomas Tuchel’s first squad as England manager.

Rashford last played for England in a friendly against Brazil in March 2024 but has impressed since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United in January.

Newcastle defender Dan Burn and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly are in line for debuts after receiving their first call up.

England start their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup with a double-header at Wembley against Albania and Latvia on Friday, 21 and Monday, 24 March respectively.

Rashford is yet to score at Villa but has chipped in with four assists as he seeks to get his career back on track.

The 27-year-old has won 60 caps for England, scoring eight goals, but fell out of favour with then manager Gareth Southgate following a drop-off in form at Manchester United.

He was omitted from the Euro 2024 squad, where England were beaten in the final by Spain, while he also missed out on the 2024-25 Nations League campaign.

In 2020, Tuchel, who was in charge of Paris St-Germain, called Rashford a “big threat” and joked he was a “bit annoying” before a match against Manchester United in the Champions League.