Marcus Rashford Shine For England

Roy Hodgson is a man who likes to dampen expectations. Indeed, he did it to such an extent at the 2014 World Cup that he somehow convinced a few people that a group-stage exit without winning a game was actually a decent result.

If that’s the aim of the England manager again this year then Marcus Rashford, who scored two minutes and 19 seconds into his international debut in the 2-1 friendly win over Australia on Friday, isn’t helping.

The youngster has now scored with the first shot of his Manchester United, Premier League and England debuts, and he also became the youngest English debut scorer since Tommy Lawton in 1938. Not bad at all.

Perhaps it was an accident or a particularly cruel TV director but, as Rashford walked away after being mobbed by his teammates with that boyish, almost embarrassed smile on his face, the camera cut to Daniel Sturridge on the bench. The injured striker glowered like a man … well, like a man watching an 18-year-old kid swipe his place in the Euro 2016 squad.

Rashford wasn’t the only man to make his case with a goal — Wayne Rooney scored England’s second following his introduction as a half-time substitute — but it’s not just the teenager’s goals that make him a live candidate to make the cut when Hodgson whittles his 26-man squad down to 23.

Throughout the game, Rashford spent more and more time drifting out to the left flank, taking up positions not just to score but to create chances for his teammates. In other words, carving out a place for himself in either a potential England front three or a two-man attack.

His link-up play and passing are remarkably smart for anyone, let alone one so young. He’s an all-round forward of some promise and, at this stage, the arguments against taking him to France are becoming less and less convincing. The Sunderland fans in the crowd sang for Jermain Defoe but, if his outside hopes were not up before this game, they certainly are now.

It doesn’t even have to be a straight choice between Rashford and Sturridge; the wide options in the England squad are a little underwhelming, so if Hodgson is unconvinced in that area then Rashford could even be an alternative. The decision to move him out to the flank in the second half suggests the thought is already in the manager’s mind.

Of course that goal and performance don’t necessarily mean Rashford will go to France. When the initial squad was named, Hodgson heavily hinted that Rashford was basically along for the experience and he’d have to do something pretty spectacular to force his way into the final party. In that case, he made a good start.