Marcus is ready to play his part
MARCUS RASHFORD insists he will have no problem dropping back down to Under-21 level if he’s selected for this summer’s European Championships.
The 19-year-old Manchester United striker hopes to win his eighth senior cap against Lithuania today, and though he’s only ever played once for the age-group side, he would happily travel to Poland as part of Aidy Boothroyd’s squad.
Senior boss Gareth Southgate sees tournament experience as crucial to player development but he knows there may be some resistance to Rashford’s participation from his club manager Jose Mourinho.
Rashford, who was part of Roy Hodgson’s squad at Euro 2016 at 18, will leave the politics to others.
“It is up to the managers to decide if I go,” he says. “But if I do go, I’ll be approaching it with the same attitude as I have when I’m with the seniors.
“Getting tournament experience is massive, as long as everything is aiming towards the long-term objective. We obviously want to be successful and win trophies.
“So whatever we have to do to get to that, whether it’s going down a level to gain the experience, everyone is happy to do that.
“Obviously there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the Euros. It was my first major tournament and going out was disappointing. All we can do is use those experiences and move on.”
Rashford burst on to the scene in sensational fashion last season, winning his first England cap after just 11 Premier League games.
This season he’s been restricted at United by the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But he insists that’s been a positive in his development.
“It’s a massive influence having that type of player around the building,” he says. “It’s important to learn from the top players around you because they want to help you.
“With Zlatan, it’s just his mentality and the way he approaches different situations.
“He has what’s needed to be a success. His mentality towards club football is something all the young players can learn from.”