Marcus Rashford sent major 'old routines' warning by Thomas Tuchel despite returning to England squad following fine form on Aston Villa loan

The Manchester United forward, who had been frozen out under Ruben Amorim in December, has reignited his career under Unai Emery at Villa Park, securing his first national team selection since March 2024.

Since his temporary switch, Rashford has featured in all nine of Villa’s matches, contributing four assists despite not finding the net. His influence has been notable, averaging a goal contribution every 116 minutes, and his performances have impressed new England boss Tuchel, who has included him in the squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Tuchel acknowledged Rashford’s impact at Villa but also delivered a firm message regarding his consistency as he emphasised the importance of maintaining his current form and avoiding slipping into his previous rut.

"I felt that he had a huge impact at Aston Villa, mostly from the bench," he told reporters. "The impact was impressive. The physical impact was impressive and most importantly, his work rate, his defensive ability and tracking back was impressive. I had the strong feeling that we should nominate him, bring him in and to push him to stay on that level to not fall back on old routines."

Alongside Rashford, Jordan Henderson has also been recalled to the England squad, while there are first-time selections for Myles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn. However, there was no place for Morgan Gibbs-White or Jack Grealish, who have both missed out.

Tuchel’s first assignment as England boss will be guiding the team through 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania on March 21 and Latvia on March 24.