Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who is currently with the England squad for Euro 2020, is still going through a rough shoulder injury which is hindering his progress as a player.
The 23-year-old had a solid campaign for United, and on the back of his consistent performances, England manager Gareth Southgate selected him for the Euros. Rashford was very impressive last season as he netted 21 goals along with 15 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions.
The young forward has revealed that he has been playing through pain for months for the Red Devils as they lost the Europa League final to Villareal. However, a constant shoulder problem has been a major concern for him of late.
“I am not performing at my best. It has been going on since early on in the season. I managed to get through the season with United.
“I think I had 36 goal involvements so I can’t look back at the year and say: ‘Mmm, I should have taken time off to do this and do that.’
“That’s just not the way I look at things. I just want to be available for every game.”
Rashford said.
Rashford is currently contemplating whether or not to undergo surgery. However, he is fearful that surgery may keep him out for large parts of the upcoming season. Therefore he will take a call after the euros only after consulting with his doctors.
“The doctors have not said yet. The reason I don’t know is that when the season was going, and before I came here, I knew there was no chance I was going to be getting the operation.
“I did not know how long the operation would put me out for. I never bothered to ask. When the tournament is finished I will ask.”
The 23-year-old is yet to start in any of the first three group stage fixtures for the Three Lions. However, he has made an appearance in all three matches from the bench.
Rashford will be in contention to feature for England’s upcoming round of 16 fixture against Germany. With Harry Kane struggling to get going, Southgate may pull the trigger on the Tottenham Hotspur man and hand that spot to Rashford. It will be a big call from Southgate if that happens, but Rashford, with his pace and ability to run at defenders, can cause more havoc for Germany on the counters than Kane.
Rashford understands the significance and the intensity of the match against Germany at Wembley Stadium. While England have been a little timid on the attacking front, they have been solid defensively. Whereas Germany may have scored six goals in the group stages, they still lack cohesion between their defenders.
“We know to win the tournament, we are going to have to beat the best teams,”
“We are being put in a position where we are blessed to be part of that history. Our main focus is to win the game, but if we do it gets put in history,”
Rashford said.
Until now, the Three Lions have managed two 1-0 wins over Croatia and the Czech Republic and shared the spoils in a goalless draw against arch-rivals Scotland. Raheem Sterling has been the only goalscorer for Southgate’s men, and he is another player who can be deadly in fast-paced counterattacks for the disorganized German defence.
On the other hand Germany also have been far from their best. They started the campaign with a loss against France but followed it by thumping Portugal 4-2. They had a tough time breaking down Hungary’s low block, but a 2-2 draw was enough to clinch the second spot in the group.
