So where does all this leave Sterling?
NOW then Gareth, how do you solve this riddle? Decisions, decisions, decisions. As he so often does, England boss Southgate found the Midas touch in terms of team selection against sorry Wales last night.
Marcus Rashford scored twice and Phil Foden, the manager’s other big call of the evening, also got on the scoresheet.
But when the euphoria subsides this morning, Southgate will have an almighty problem to solve. One of those nice problems that managers say they enjoy having, but a problem, nonetheless.
Because you have to wonder where Rashford’s sublime performance here in Doha leaves Raheem Sterling. The biggest omission from the starting XI to face Wales last night, Sterling’s position in England’s plans now comes under major scrutiny.
He is a genuinene world class talent who, alongside Harryrry
Kane, is England’sd’s most influentialal attacker.
And there was no sulking from England’s No 10, who was one of the first to congratulate Rashford after he stroked home a beautiful free-kickck to put England intonto the lead.
But omitting Sterlingerling for a World Cup group game withith passage to the knockouts virtually assured is one thing. Doing so for a last-16 tie against Senegal is something entirely different.
How can you drop Rashford after this though? The answer is that you cannot.
If Southgate, as he alluded to last week, selects his team based on the values of meritocracy then surely Sterling will spend longer on the bench than he or his manager may have envisaged.
Big games are made for big players and they do not come much bigger than Sterling. But Rashford has provided his boss with one hell of a dilemma.
When England shaped up for their final training session at the
Al Wakrah Sports Complex on Monday afternoon, Rashford’s heart would have skipped a beat. Southgate made his team wait longer than usual to hear the 11 starters for this Home Nations clash. But Rashford would have had a fair idea he was in by the time he gotg the nod later that evening.ev ThisTh was his moment,mo one RashfordR feared maym never come. Prior to his selection in Southgate’s 26man party for Qatar, the Manchesterc United forwardf had not kickedki a ball for EnglandEn since the penapenalty that changed his life forever. RashfordRashfor has done all he can to consign that crushing miss at last summer’s Euros final to the depths of his psyche. Only he will know how the events of that night, and what followed, impacted him. Off the pitch he remained a social pioneer, a figure of hope and strength for underprivileged families.
On the pitch, though, he was struggling. Rashford would be the first to admit his form waned for United last year. The Old Trafford circus did not help. Not only was the forward trying to revive his own form, he was in a team struggling under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralph Rangnick. Rashford simply did not justify his selection for England.
But the fact he was here at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, back starting for England on the biggest stage of all, tells you everything you need to know about his strength of character.
It also tells you how highly Southgate rates Rashford that at the first sign of improvement at United, he was back in his squad. He will rate him even higher after this display.
In many ways, how he performed last night was secondary. The real story was the culmination of an arduous 18-month journey.
Away from his brace, Rashford’s all round game was good, though he did waste England’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes, thwarted by Wales keeper Danny Ward after being sent clean through by Harry Kane.
But generally he was neat and tidy in possession, while a couple of trademark dribbles had the Welsh defence scurrying.
When he was substituted in the second half, leaving the field to a standing ovation to be embraced by Southgate, you could have forgiven Rashford for casting his mind back to that fateful Euros final. You’d have forgiven him for thinking about the disgusting racial abuse that followed.
But onwards and upwards. Rashford is England’s top scorer at the World Cup with three. Golden Boot, anyone?