Latest Marcus Rashford rumour denied by Gareth Southgate following Belgium draw

England manager Gareth Southgate has denied rumours that Marcus Rashford has been carrying an injury since he was with Manchester United.

Despite being called up to the Three Lions squad for the friendlies with Brazil and Belgium, Rashford has played just 15 minutes over the international break.

His inclusion in the squad came off the back of several season-best performances, with Rashford having scored three goals in three matches, including vital goals against Liverpool and Manchester City.

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Yet, the 26-year-old was on the bench for both of England’s games and only managed 15 minutes at the end of the 1-0 loss to Brazil. He remained an unused substitute for the 2-2 draw with Belgium.

This has led some fans to question why the winger had been left out of the starting line-up for both matches having been a crucial player for England manager Gareth Southgate throughout his England tenure.

Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), chief football writer for The Times Sport, Henry Winter, offered a potential explanation for Rashford’s omission.

Winter said: “Marcus Rashford been carrying a slight knock since the Forest game.”

But, speaking to The Mirror after the Belgium game, when asked if Rashford was carrying an injury, Southgate put the rumours to bed.

He said: “No, I wanted to see Anthony Gordon again. I thought he had an excellent impact in the first game, and I thought that [James] Maddison coming into that area could open things up for us a bit.”

The news will be relieving for United who will need Rashford at his best ahead of a crucial month including matches with Chelsea, Liverpool and the FA Cup semi-final with Coventry City.