Jamie Redknapp has heaped praise on Marcus Rashford for getting his career back on track after the forward netted twice in England’s 3-0 win against Wales on Tuesday to book their place in the last-16 of the World Cup.

Off the back of missing a penalty in England’s heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Italy in last year’s European Championship final, Rashford endured a miserable 2021-22 campaign where he scored just four league goals for Manchester United.

This led to him failing to represent the Three Lions for over 12 months, but he has turned things around this term, scoring eight goals in all competitions to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

Marcus Rashford scored twice in England's win against Wales at the World Cup on Tuesday

Marcus Rashford scored twice in England’s win against Wales at the World Cup on Tuesday

It has been some turnaround for the forward who struggled under Ralf Rangnick at Man United last season

It has been some turnaround for the forward who struggled under Ralf Rangnick at Man United last season

Rashford took his chance to play from the start against Wales, scoring with a free-kick and a powerful left-footed shot to cap off his rise back to the top, and Redknapp has hailed the 25-year-old for getting back to his best after initially believing Rashford could benefit from a move away from Old Trafford.

Referring back to a conversation he had with Rashford earlier this season, Redknapp told Sky Sports: ‘I said to him, “you look a totally different player, a different boy. What has changed?” Because I felt the best thing for him might have been to leave Manchester United and go and grow and play elsewhere because he looked like he’d fallen out of love with the game. 

‘And he stopped and looked at me, and I thought “what are you going to say to me here because you might not take this question very well?” And the really brilliant answer that he gave which was “do you know what, I just fell in love with the game again. I realised that things weren’t right, I wasn’t putting the work in, I wasn’t happy.”

‘And he looked like a player that was deeply unhappy with his game. Now Marcus Rashford off the field has done so many things, things that you could only imagine doing. He’s changing lives at 22/23, it’s phenomenal what he’s done. 

Jamie Redknapp has praised Rashford for falling back in love with the game and returning to his best form

Jamie Redknapp has praised Rashford for falling back in love with the game and returning to his best form

‘But on the field, it came at a price for him. And you could see that he was taking too much on his young shoulders, and football has to take priority if you want to be a top level player like he is. 

‘Now he’s producing that kind of football that we know that he can do.’

There has been much debate about Rashford’s best position for club and country as he has been played through the middle and on either flank this season.

He even switched positions on Tuesday night, moving to the right in the second half after starting the match on the opposite wing.

Yet Redknapp feels Rashford’s resurgence does not depend on where he plays, and is down to just one thing – confidence. 

‘We often talk about confidence and it seems so simplistic. People want a bigger answer, whether it’s a tactical change, maybe he’s playing him off the right… it’s not. He’s feeling a million dollars,’ Redknapp continued.

‘Every time the ball came to him after he scored you could see he wanted to show off, he wanted to do a trick, he was chasing everywhere. 

‘That’s the fine lines in football between (being) confident, wanting the ball in every single area of the pitch, and not confident and almost marking yourself, hiding from the ball that we saw last year from Marcus Rashford.’

Rashford is now level with Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot at the World Cup

Rashford is now level with Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot at the World Cup

Having come off the bench in England’s opening two matches in Qatar, Rashford shone from the opening whistle in their final group game and has left Southgate with a selection headache ahead of the side’s last-16 clash with Senegal on Sunday.

Redknapp believes Rashford is ready to deliver from the start or as a substitute, and even thinks he will be eyeing up the Golden Boot, having moved level with Kylian Mbappe, Cody Gakpo and Enner Valencia on three goals in the tournament. 

‘It can only be good news for England because he looks the player that’s bang in form,’ Redknapp said.

‘Whether he starts, whether he comes on, he’ll feel so good about himself. Three goals now, he’s looking at the Golden Boot.’

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Post source: Daily mail

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