Down barriers with supporters

photograph on social media of himself as a small boy along with the message “Mum, we’re off to the World Cup!”.

At England’s camp, north of St Petersburg, Rashford further considers the accusation that Premier League stars are now too far removed from the fans.

“We don’t put ourselves in that bubble,” the Manchester United forward said. “That bubble is created by everyone around us. We are just normal people, and the more we can show that to people and show them what we are doing in our spare time and little things helps them relate and understand.”

That is the bigger-picture stuff, although Rashford is sure that it also translates to improvements on the training ground and on the pitch where, he says, patience is still needed with this young squad.

The perception is that having beaten Tunisia and Panama before losing to Belgium in the final group game – with a disappointing performance during which Rashford missed the best chance – England have to beat Colombia to claim a degree of success.

Rashford sees it differently. “If we win, it doesn’t show anything like that, and if we lose, it doesn’t show we haven’t improved,” he argued. “We know within the team how far we’ve come. To do it in the game gives us the opportunity to show everyone else how far we’ve come over the last few years.”

Southgate made eight changes for the Belgium fixture, and Rashford dismisses the claim that momentum may have been lost. “I think it [the changes] was needed,” he said. “It’s tough if you say the same 11 players have got to play 90 minutes each game. They [the games] are quite close together. We had an extra day or two to help recovery and an extra day of training. The team is feeling a lot fresher than if the game was on Monday [had they won the group].”

Rashford knows he may have missed the chance to put more pressure on Raheem Sterling for a starting place but is measured about it. “You have to have an open mind because there are a lot of top players that all bring different qualities to the game,” he insisted.

Inevitably, the discussion turns to penalties. “It’s not chance,” Rashford said, with England having practised spot-kicks at every training session in Russia. “It’s a skill, and every skill takes time to learn and perfect, but being able to perform it with pressure and everything around.”

Is he on Southgate’s list? “It’s more if you feel comfortable taking one, which I do,” he said. “I think he knows the players who are confident in those circumstances. I’d be willing to step forward.”