A breakthrough season at Manchester United could be about to get even better for Marcus Rashford, with the striker included in England’s preliminary 26-man squad for Euro 2016.
The uncapped Rashford burst onto the scene with doubles in victories over Midtjylland and Arsenal in February, and has now seen off competition from Andy Carroll and Jermain Defoe to earn a place in Roy Hodgson’s pre-tournament training group.
Despite Rashford’s relative lack of experience, the England boss has seen – and heard – enough to be confident the teenager can go on to be a regular for the national team.
“We have had good feedback from Manchester United on the player,” he said.
“We have a good group of forward players and plenty of players who can be in the front positions. If he continues to develop, there is no reason why he cannot become a regular in the England team.”
However, Rashford faces competition from Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy and United team-mate Wayne Rooney.
We look at how he has measured up against his new international team-mates across all club competitions this season with the help of Opta data:
Since making his debut in February, Rashford has made a total of 16 appearances for United in all competitions, so it is unsurprising he has seen the least game time. Injury troubles have blighted Sturridge’s season but he has still been used more than the 18-year-old, while Harry Kane enters the competition on the back of a mammoth season with Tottenham in which he played over 4,000 minutes.
4026 – Harry Kane
3281 – Wayne Rooney
3210 – Jamie Vardy
1608 – Daniel Sturridge
1262 – Marcus Rashford
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