Marcus Rashford models England’s M&S formalwear despite Euro 2024 squad snub
Marcus Rashford may have been the most high-profile omission from England’s Euro 2024 squad this week – but there is another ensemble he remains part of.
The Manchester United striker appears with Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher in images of the Marks & Spencer formalwear that the England team will be wearing off the field at the tournament this summer.
The trio – photographed it seems before England manager Gareth Southgate announced his provisional 33-man squad – model the range. Ramsdale and Gallagher were picked in the squad.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag believes Rashford’s struggles have given the 26-year-old all the ammunition he needs to try to salvage something from a miserable season in Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley.
Rashford’s omission from Southgate’s squad follows a season in which his work rate and attitude have been questioned amid consistently poor form and the player has been reprimanded by Ten Hag for his off-field behaviour, which included a drunken night out in Belfast that led to him being dropped for an FA Cup tie against Newport County in January.
Rashford has not started a game since being booed off by sections of United’s support in the Cup semi-final against Coventry City owing to injury but he did appear as a substitute in the final two league games against Newcastle and Brighton.
And Ten Hag has backed the striker – who has just eight goals for United this term after scoring 30 last season – to use his troubles as added motivation against Manchester City and ensure a torrid campaign at least ends on a high.
“He looks good,” the United manager said. “That is a career – ups and downs and so a down can also give fuel and that is what I see in training.
“He will be highly motivated: speak with your feet, he’s highly intelligent, he has already had a big career and I’m sure he will get over this and he will get more goals.”
With Ten Hag’s future under serious threat and United willing to listen to offers for almost the entirety of their squad this summer bar a handful of young talents such as Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund, Saturday could represent the last game for many at the club.
Nonetheless, Ten Hag sidestepped questions about his own future. “I am just focusing on the job I have to do and that is first win the game on Saturday and then we are in the project and keep going in the project,” he said.
“I came here to win trophies. Saturday I have the next opportunity. We earned this opportunity as a team and now we have to go for it. At the same time in the last two years, of course every season you review it, and then we will see where we are in the project and the things that we have to change.
“We spoke lately about it, underneath there are very good things, players coming up and players developing, values coming up and at the same time we have on Saturday a big opportunity to win the next trophy.”
Ten Hag could start fit again Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez for only the sixth time at centre-half together this season and must decide whether to restore Rasmus Hojlund to the starting XI or use him as an impact substitute after the Denmark striker came off the bench to score against Newcastle and Brighton.
Hojlund admitted it felt like a “curse” had been lifted when he scored his first Premier League goal back in December and admitted he would have liked to see more of the ball this season amid complaints from fans that the service to the striker has not been good enough.
“You feel an incredible amount of pressure when you’re at Manchester United,” Hojlund told Tipsbladet. “It took some time for me to get going in the Premier League, but I think I’ve caught up quite well. I feel like I’ve found my rhythm.
“It was a frustrating time leading up to my first goal in the Premier League because I felt there was a lot of focus on it. But, of course, I understand that it’s not impressive not to score a single goal in your first 14 Premier League matches, but I felt that bad luck was on my side in the league games. When I scored against Aston Villa, I felt like the curse had lifted a bit.
“I feel like I get the ball if I’m in the right positions. I would have liked to get the ball a bit more sometimes, but that’s just not always possible.”