Marcus Rashford will be hoping to receive an England recall ahead of the winter World Cup, following on from his absence from the squad after a poor campaign with Manchester United.
His last action for the international team came just over a year ago where he was brought on as a last-minute substitute, alongside Jadon Sancho, in the Euro 2020 final as penalties loom.
We all know what happened following the two United men stepping foot on the Wembley pitch, with widespread abuse for the both of them and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, who also missed his spot kick in the game.
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Since then, Rashford has struggled to find any find of form for his club.
After delaying his shoulder operation to appear at the competition with his country, Rashford returned to United action in October following on from his recovery.
But, he didn't look recovered.
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Whilst United were already on their downwards spiral under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the forward was one of the biggest culprits for having an awful campaign.
This led to Southgate dropping him from the Three Lions squad and he is yet to return to the fold.
However, Rashford has since had a full pre-season and rest period, which he has described as "priceless" with it being his first tour with United since 2019.
Also, Southgate has come under fire recently for a lack of attacking danger in his England team. A winless Nations League run during the international break in June saw his team score just once in four games.
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Rashford has scored 11 goals and registered five assists for England under the manager in just over 2000 minutes.
He was one of the most reliable frontline players for Southgate and aims to return to the fold in time for the World Cup.
However, the United forward is more focused on performing for his club, and then hoping that he will be rewarded come November.
"Yeah, I've not spoken to him since the summer really, so I'm not too sure," he revealed when asked by Sky Sports if he's been in contact with the England manager.
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"All I can do is do try and do my best for United and then we'll see what happens," he added.
With United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia finished, Rashford looks ready to contribute next season.
Two goals across the four games and his link-up with Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho will give him confidence going into the Premier League campaign.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Marcus Rashford, Gareth Southgate, England, Euro 2021, Football World Cup, Football, Premier League