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Rashford went to the Euros as a promising kid.. now he’s ready to take on the world as a confident, mature striker
MARCUS RASHFORD went to the Euros as England’s boy wonder.
Less than two years later, he is ready to take the world stage in Russia, having come of age.
Rashford, who does not turn 20 until the last day of this month, exudes so much confidence that it could easily be confused with arrogance.
But he was single-minded, full of self-belief and did not even blink when asked whether he was England’s answer to France whizz-kid Kylian Mbappe or Brazil’s brilliant forward Neymar.
“You just get put in certain categories,” said Rashford. “It’s just what happens in the game now. It’s not in your control. It can be based on nationality, age, position.
“But it’s good to be put in with that category of players.”
Nothing fazed Rashford as he spoke yesterday.
His team-mates see him as a ruthless finisher, single-minded and determined. He is blunt and to the point.
Maybe that’s a reflection of how far he has come in such a short space of time since he was thrust into stardom in February 2016.
After being promoted from the bench to the starting lineup to answer a Manchester United injury crisis he scored twice in the Champions League against Midtjylland, and then repeated the trick three days later to help defeat Arsenal in the Premier League.
By the end of the season he had scored on his England debut and been called up for the European Championship.
That ended with a cameo as a late substitute in the Iceland humiliation. But rather than see it as a valuable learning experience, he views it as the biggest disappointment of his short career.
“I’ll be honest with you, it is difficult to see it as a positive when you’re losing and don’t have the chance to get it back,” said Rashford. “We went out before we expected to, and before we wanted to, so it was a disappointing end to the season for me.
“Since then, we have got a new manager, new staff. The players are gelling in a different way. I think the set-up and the aim and vision of where we want to go is much better now than it was.”
It was clear that Rashford felt the previous regime under Roy Hodgson was lacking, while Sam Allardyce dropped him from his one and only squad. Now things are different under Gareth Southgate. “Around the hotel, everyone feels comfortable and relaxed,” added Rashford. “That is something that I would say is different to last time.
“At internationals, you don’t get much time together to understand each other’s personalities and what the players like to do outside. The more we understand each other, the better the results will be on the pitch.”
Rashford believes he is more mature now, and ready for the World Cup as he has embraced greater responsibility.
“It’s all about winning,” he said. “In tournament football, it doesn’t matter how you win or how it looks to the people.
“Obviously if you win well, it’s better but if we went there and didn’t play our best football but came back with the trophy, we’d take it. It’s step-by-step throughout everyone’s career.
“When you get older, you take more responsibility, you’re more of a leader.”
Frighteningly, the first World Cup that Rashford vividly remembers is 2010. His heroes are ex-Brazil star Ronaldo and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who he faced in the European Super Cup in August.
The latter is known for his incredible free-kicks. Rashford is also hitting more deadballs, and does not lack any confidence. So, has he taken any like Ronaldo yet?
“No, it’s a different technique. I can do it like he does it, but I haven’t yet,” said Rashford.
If England’s mentality has been their downfall in previous tournaments, confidence and belief is not lacking in Rashford’s make-up.