Marcus Rashford Returns to England Squad After Loan Spells

Marcus Rashford has secured a place back in the England national team after spending the latter half of the 2024-2025 season on loan at Aston Villa and the entire 2025-2026 season at FC Barcelona.

England Squad Recall and Loan History

Rashford's loan move to Aston Villa occurred after a disagreement with Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim. During his time at Barcelona, he contributed to the team’s La Liga title by scoring and assisting a combined total of 28 goals across all competitions.

Although there was speculation that Barcelona would make his transfer permanent, they chose not to exercise this option. Rashford is now expected to return to Manchester United for pre-season training following the World Cup.

In the World Cup, Rashford began on the bench but scored in England’s opening match against Croatia. He started in the final group stage game against Panama and also played in the last 32 match against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Media Criticism of Rashford's World Cup Performance

During the game against Congo, Rashford was substituted after 60 minutes with England trailing 0-1. His replacement, Anthony Gordon, assisted two goals that led to a late victory for England.

The media response to Rashford’s performance was largely critical. The Guardian rated him 3 out of 10, stating that he “summed up England’s awful start by miscontrolling ball out of play” and that his “last contribution was a terrible cross.”

Sky Sports assigned him a 5 out of 10, noting that he “spent a large part of the first half letting passes slip past him” but acknowledged some positive moments, such as an effort cleared off the line and a shot hitting the side netting. They also noted his substitution in the 61st minute.

The BBC offered a more balanced view, commenting on “flashes of the quality that we know Rashford has” but criticized the lack of consistency as “the performance became increasingly desperate as England chased an equaliser.”

TalkSPORT was the most critical, awarding Rashford a 2 out of 10 and expressing deep disappointment in his effort.

In contrast, The Independent rated him 6 out of 10, praising his ability to challenge the Congo defense and provide verticality to the team’s play.

Rashford will aim to improve his impact when England faces Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning BST.

Rashford’s Statistics Against DR Congo

Source: Sofascore

Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images