GARETH SOUTHGATE has explained that Marcus Rashford was an unused substitute against Belgium because he wanted to see Anthony Gordon play again.
Jude Bellingham’s late equaliser salvaged a 2-2 draw last night and ensured England did not lose a second consecutive game at Wembley.
With England in need of a late equaliser, Southgate brought on Ollie Watkins, Anthony Gordon and James Maddison – with the latter providing the assist for Bellingham’s stoppage time leveller.
Manchester United star Rashford, though, was an unused substitute having only been handed a 15-minute cameo in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Brazil.
There had been suggestions that the 26-year-old has been managing a knock since the end of last month.
But Southgate has now allayed any injury fears after confirming that Rashford was fit and that he simply wanted to give Gordon another run out.
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The England boss said: “I wanted to see Anthony Gordon again. I thought he had an excellent impact in the first game.
“And I thought that Maddison coming into that area could open things up for us a bit.”
Gordon entered the fray in place of Jarrod Bowen in the 80th minute for his second senior England cap, having made his debut against Brazil.
He played 85 minutes in total across the two games, with it seeming like it is anyone’s guess if he will be named in the 23-man squad for the Euros.
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The wide midfielder spots are arguably England most competitive position.
The likes of Gordon, Rashford, Bowen and Cole Palmer are all fighting for a place.
As Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden places are all but confirmed, it’s possible only two of the four players will earn a spot in the summer’s squad.
While Rashford could not get a game, United team-mate Kobbie Mainoo caught headlines with an impressive display on his first-ever England start.
Asked about the 18-year-old and how the new-look midfield three worked, Southgate continued: “His attributes are there for everybody to see.
“That ability to receive under pressure and ride challenges, to manipulate the ball in tight areas.
“We were a little bit more open, there’s no doubt about that. We wanted to press aggressively.
“There were times where we turned the ball over on the edge of their penalty box and we actually had chances we should have taken.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
