November 10, (THEWILL) – Gareth Southgate has admitted he felt Marcus Rashford’s dismissal against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday was the right decision but refused to be drawn on the forward’s ongoing struggles at Manchester United this season.
Rashford was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge while the Red Devils were leading 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League clash. United went on to collapse and lose the game 4-3, leaving their hopes of reaching the knockout stages hanging by a thread.
When asked about the incident at a press conference on Friday, Southgate agreed with the VAR’s decision to upgrade the card to red but insisted Rashford’s poor form for his club was not a concern for England ahead of upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers.
“He’s unlucky. I think it’s a red card, in the end, the action makes him into a player,” said Southgate. “But everyone knows he’s trying to protect the ball and get his body across it. It’s just really unfortunate in that respect.”
The England boss was keen to stress his continued belief in Rashford’s ability despite his struggles at Old Trafford. “He knows we love him. He’s been exceptional in his last three starts with us so we’re really happy with him. He enjoys his football with us so, for me, there’s nothing to discuss.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
