Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is yet to start a game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite an impressive loan spell with Barcelona. The English forward is surplus to requirements at Old Trafford but has been included in Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions squad for the tournament.
Rashford registered 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions last season for the Catalans, but his future remains up in the air right now. The Red Devils are ready to permanently cut ties with their academy graduate this year, but offloading him is proving to be a challenge.
Marcus Rashford Stats: 2025/26 Season
| Competition | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Minutes Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaLiga | 32 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 3 | - | 1,762' |
| UEFA Champions League | 11 | 5 | 5 | 4 | - | - | 579' |
| Copa del Rey | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 249' |
| Supercopa | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 32' |
| Total | 49 | 26 | 14 | 14 | 3 | - | 2,622' |
Source: Transfermarkt.
Barcelona opted against exercising the €30 million purchase option in the Englishman’s loan deal, which has further complicated matters. There is interest in the player’s signature from the Premier League and abroad, and United are hoping that a good run at the World Cup could further help their cause.
However, Rashford remains behind Anthony Gordon in Tuchel’s pecking order at the moment, with both of his appearances coming off the bench. The 28 year old found the back of the net in the 4-2 win over Croatia but failed to have an impact in the 0-0 draw against Ghana.
With Gordon not faring any better, there have been calls to hand the United man his first start against Panama this weekend. Tuchel has now explained why he has preferred to use Rashford off the bench so far.
United star not as decisive as Gordon from the start
Speaking in the build-up to England’s final group stage game against Panama on Saturday, Tuchel insisted that Rashford is not as decisive as Gordon from the start. He said: “Marcus is in a good place, but when he started he was not as decisive as Anthony, that’s just it. We had a very good match against Costa Rica with Anthony and the unit, it’s more a unit on the left side than it is individuals or ‘the winger didn’t do enough.’”
“The unit on the left side hasn’t provided the same quality as they did against Costa Rica. They were so good, I saw the game against Costa Rica and thought: ‘OK, left side is solved, this unit, they find their link.’”
“Then Marcus came on the left side, together with Eberechi Eze and Djed Spence, and they did so well. So I thought: ‘Oh, we have two units. They know what they’re doing and they’re clicking.’”
“It turns out we played the first match and they’re not clicking, I’m not even sure why, but it was not the same amount of connection, not the same amount of penetration, not the same amount of verticality, and this was the same in the second match. I don’t know the reason for it. I still trust all of them, I still trust them to get better.”
Rashford performs better from the bench
Tuchel went on to point out that Rashford performs better off the bench, adding: “Marcus is just also very good from the bench, and it’s sometimes nice to hold someone back.”
“He struggled to have the same influence for us from the start, and yet from the bench he was always pushing. I know many times we spoke about him and you said, ‘You trust him so much, but what is the output?’ True, but he tries and he’s there.”
“He’s in a good place. He’s pushing, he’s a candidate to start, but the left side in general, no matter who plays, needs to click a bit more and provide a bit more threat.”
Final Thoughts
Rashford will be desperate to leave a mark at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to secure a move away from United. While his time at Old Trafford looks all but over, the Englishman still has a lot of football left in him and will be keen to make a fresh start next season.
Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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