England coach Thomas Tuchel has had positive talks with Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden after expressing concerns about their performance in the win against Albania.
In Friday’s 2-0 victory at Wembley, both players struggled to make an impact on the wings and were substituted in the second half. Tuchel wanted them to be more aggressive in attacking the penalty area.
He explained that Foden needs to form stronger connections with the midfield, while Rashford was unfortunate with the timing of his runs. England will now turn their focus to their next World Cup qualifier against Latvia.
“I’ve spoken to both of them, also in front of the group. They know that I appreciate the effort, I think especially off the ball,” Tuchel told reporters.
“We can see in the numbers and when we watch the match again how much effort they put into defending high and to the counter-press. Also in their sprinting numbers, Marcus had a lot of runs when we had the ball where we did not see him or use him.
“Phil is just maybe not finding the momentum, at the moment, that he can have. But both of them are very positive, have every right to be positive and know exactly what we want from them. Ideally we try to bring them in more one-on-one situations.”
Tuchel gave no clues as to who would start against Latvia on Monday but suggested some fresh players could come in.
“It’s only the second day after the match. It’s still a day where we have to be cautious,” he said.
“It could also make sense to put some fresh players who really deserve to play … Maybe it will be a mix between the both.”
Winger Anthony Gordon has pulled out of England’s squad after picking up an injury in the win against Albania. He has returned to Newcastle United for further evaluation.
Gordon entered the match as a substitute late in the game but later went down with what seemed to be a hip injury.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has joined the squad after initially being left out. He was called up as a replacement for Cole Palmer, who had to miss the qualifiers due to a muscle injury.
Coach Thomas Tuchel praised Gibbs-White for staying positive despite not making the original squad, adding that the 25-year-old was thrilled when he got the second call.
