England: Thomas Tuchel says Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden know what Three Lions coaching staff want from them

23 March 2025, 12:16 | Updated: 24 March 2025, 09:24

Thomas Tuchel says he will not drop players based on performances in the early days of his tenure as England manager, after he highlighted the lack of impact made by Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden in his first game in charge.

The pair were replaced by Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon after 74 minutes of Friday's 2-0 win over Albania, having both struggled to show their best at Wembley.

Speaking after the Three Lions' opening World Cup qualifier, Tuchel said: "I think both of our wingers who started [Foden and Rashford] were not as impactful as they normally can be, or as they normally are in club football.

"At the moment, I'm not too sure why we struggled to bring the ball to them quicker and to bring the ball in more open positions to them. I need to review the match."