Marcus Rashford brought the mood up in England training with a nutmeg on Ezri Konsa, and the senior players reacted exactly as you would expect: laughter all round. He had received from John Stones and played on to Morgan Rogers before slipping the ball through Konsa’s legs. That small moment is the story here, because it summed up the relaxed feel around camp before Mexico.
Saka and Rice praise Rashford’s sharpness
Bukayo Saka summed up the reaction best. "I have to say Rashy, Rashy is very good at the rondos. He hardly ever goes in, and every time I've been in the box he has to nutmeg someone, at least one person," he said to express.co.uk.
Jordan Henderson added: "Rashy will probably get the most megs." Declan Rice was just as upbeat, saying: "Rashford is very good in the box, he's just so smooth with it, his feet are so sharp. He finds little pockets to pass into."
The wider context is simple enough. Rashford featured in England's previous two fixtures against Panama and DR Congo, so this was not a one-off training flourish from a player on the outside looking in. He also enjoyed a loan spell at Barcelona last season, and England have clearly responded well to the same sharpness in possession that people kept pointing to.
Tuchel keeps the camp calm
Thomas Tuchel did not want the camp dragged into outside noise. "We had no issues tonight and I think Fifa took care of the situation. We have security around the hotel so we expect a good night's sleep. I don't want to talk about problems that don't exist yet. If they come, we will accept them. The best way to approach is to be relaxed and calm," he said.
That fits the tone of the whole piece. Rashford has four World Cup appearances in this run, one goal and an average rating of 6.59 across his last four matches, which is enough to show he is contributing beyond the training-ground clip. England do not need a big speech around him, just more of the same sharp movement and clean decisions when Mexico come around.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →