England manager Thomas Tuchel has publicly expressed his support for Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, affirming his confidence in their abilities despite their poor performances in his first match as head coach.
Tuchel began his Three Lions tenure with a 2-0 victory over Albania in a World Cup qualifier at a sold-out Wembley on Friday. Myles Lewis-Skelly scored on his debut before captain Harry Kane extended his England record tally to 70 goals.
However, Tuchel was not fully satisfied, particularly with Rashford and Foden’s lack of impact in wide positions.
“I think they know (what more I want from them),” Tuchel told talkSPORT ahead of Monday’s qualifier against Latvia.
“I’ve spoken to both of them, also in front of the group. They know that I appreciate the effort, especially off the ball.”
Tuchel explained that Rashford made several unutilized runs, while Foden struggled to find momentum.
“Marcus had a lot of runs where we did not see him or use him. He was a little bit unlucky with the timing, and from time to time, we overlooked him. Phil is maybe not finding the rhythm he can have, but they both remain positive and know exactly what we expect from them.”
Despite being last season’s Player of the Year for both the PFA and Football Writers’ Association, Foden has struggled to replicate his club form for England. His situation has been worsened by Manchester City’s poor season.
Rashford, on the other hand, has experienced a resurgence since a January loan move to Aston Villa from Manchester United.
Tuchel remains fully behind both players.
“We believe fully in both wingers; that’s why we called them up.”
On Foden, Tuchel said: “He is going through a difficult season at his club. He hasn’t found the same rhythm as last season, so we called him up to show our support and commitment.”
Regarding Rashford, Tuchel added. “Since January, he has been very impressive in a new club and environment. That has not changed because of 60 or 70 difficult minutes against Albania.”
