England boss Thomas Tuchel has kept a promise he made to one of his players ahead of his first game in charge of the Three Lions.
Tuchel officially started his tenure boss as England manager at the start of 2025 and will take charge of his first game on Friday when they host Albania in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Having replaced Gareth Southgate and followed on from Lee Carsley's spell as interim manager, Tuchel has already put his own stamp on the side with his selections.
Advert
Although he has given first call-ups to Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tuchel has brought a number of players back into the fold - including the experienced Jordan Henderson.
But Marcus Rashford also finds himself back in the national team fold after being well out of contention.
In the mix at both Euro 2020 and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Rashford was not included in Southgate's Euro 2024 squad and his last appearance for England came against Brazil just under a year ago.
He was made surplus to requirements by Ruben Amorim at Manchester United and after continually being left out of matchday squads over a perceived poor level in training, in January Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season.
The 27-year-old has been given a new lease of life under Unai Emery, registering four assists in all competitions and looking like his old self once again.
Advert
It was enough for him to join Villa colleagues Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa in the England squad but it appears as though Rashford was always destined to make a return under Tuchel.
In November, a month after Tuchel was announced as manager, it was reported by The Sun that the former Chelsea boss reached out to Rashford and told him he had an important role to play under him.
It was also claimed he felt as though Rashford not going to the Euros was a mistake and teams found them much easier to play against as a result.
Advert
A source is said to have told the newspaper: "Tuchel contacted Marcus and his representatives and told them he saw Marcus as an essential part of the England squad.
“He said he believed a big part of England’s failure to win Euro 2024 was not having Marcus as an option.
“Other teams fear his abilities and Tuchel said he believed without Rashford, England didn’t offer a strong attacking threat on the left and that made them easier to play against as a lot of the ball came down the right.
“Tuchel is a huge admirer of Marcus. It’s a great boost for him and another encouragement to try and get back to his best.”
Tuchel fires subtle dig at Gareth Southgate
Hours before his first game at the helm, Tuchel appeared to have a dig at Southgate's approach at Euro 2024, where England got to the final but were beaten 2-1 by Spain in Berlin.
Advert
And while England have made stride forwards in major tournaments in recent times, Tuchel highlighted where they went wrong.
"They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the excitement and hunger to win it,” Tuchel told ITV about the Euros.
He added that the missing piece for England was "excitement".
England host Albania in Tuchel's first game at Wembley on Friday, before returning to the national stadium to take on Latvia on Monday.
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, England
Josh Lawless