Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho have been warned by England boss Gareth Southgate that they will “have to do a lot more” if they are to find themselves as part of the 23-man squad for the Qatar World Cup later this year.
The duo, who could only help drag United to a sixth-placed finish last season, largely faltered under the uninspiring guidance of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. With a combined 54 Premier League games returning just seven goals and six assists, their output is nowhere near that of Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka and Jarrod Bowen’s.
Having featured heavily for England in previous years, especially Rashford who has played in England’s last three tournaments, it would seem controversial for the pair to be left out for the trip to Qatar. But if their poor form continues, Southgate has warned them that they won’t make the plane – claiming that the wide players have ‘a lot to do’ to bring themselves back into the squad.
“They’ve got a lot to do to get back in the squad,” Southgate said. “We’ve only got one [United player, Harry Maguire] with us! Well, look, I think the lower the load then of course the less likely for injuries and the hope that players can be that little bit sharper but there’s no way of knowing.
“Some players are at their best when they’re in a rhythm of playing. You talk to some of our lads now and they want to play every game because that’s how they feel they get to their best level.
“Others need the breaks, they need longer recovery between the matches to be at their best.” The duo have not featured in any of the last two international breaks after falling out of favour.
England have failed to impress so far in their current Nations League campaign, scoring just once in their three games against Italy, Hungary and Germany.
That goal came from the penalty spot against their bitter rivals Germany in Munich, meaning the Three Lions have not scored from open play since the tournament began.
Fans will be looking cautiously to the World Cup, where England will look to go one better than their Euro final loss to Italy back in July. Whether Rashford and Sancho will make the cut to help that quest is another question.