Gareth Southgate defends Marcus Rashford’s decision to go on holiday

Rashford withdraws from England squad

Gareth Southgate has defended Marcus Rashford’s decision to fly to New York on holiday, despite pulling out of the England squad injured. Rashford has scored 19 goals since the World Cup but has now pulled out of five of the six non-tournament England squads.

Southgate has no issue with Rashford’s decision

Southgate said he had no issue with Rashford’s decision though and insisted it would not hamper his chances of selection in the future. Southgate claims that was just ‘semantics’. ‘He’s in good form,’ he said ahead of the qualifier against Ukraine on Sunday. ‘We’d love to have had him as an option for this camp but we haven’t. It’s opportunities for other people.

Rashford’s availability inconsistent

‘We always make a judgement on how people are playing and he’s obviously played a lot for us. He’s over 50 caps now for England and close to 50 of those have been since I’ve been the manager. ‘I’ve known him a long time, I know what he’s capable of. It’s good to see him in the goalscoring form he’s in. When he’s getting a chance, you’re expecting him to score. Rashford’s inconsistent availability may leave Southgate — or his successor — scratching his head when they look for a player to fill Harry Kane’s boots. He will be nearly 33 when the next World Cup begins.

Arsenal forward Balogun’s future uncertain

One young star who England may miss out on is Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun. Southgate admitted it is a ‘conundrum’ but urged Balogun to go with his heart when deciding his future. ‘It is a classic thing we are facing at the moment,’ said Southgate. ‘Young players progress well and you cannot give them the immediate opportunity that they would like and another country perhaps can offer them. It is up to the player to weigh up where his heart feels.

Henderson and Bellingham fit to face Ukraine

Reece James has withdrawn from the England squad for ‘assessment on an ongoing issue’, but Southgate revealed Jordan Henderson and Jude Bellingham were fit to face Ukraine.

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Credit: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11902857/Gareth-Southgate-defends-Marcus-Rashfords-New-York-break.html

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