Rashford out of England double header

Marcus Rashford will miss England's Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro.

Published : Mar 22, 2019 09:32 IST

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.
lightbox-info

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.

Marcus Rashford will return to Manchester United for treatment after being ruled out of England's European Championship qualifying double-header through injury.

Gareth Southgate's World Cup semi-finalists open its Euro 2020 campaign on Friday against the Czech Republic before meeting Montenegro on Monday.

It will do so, however, without Rashford, who has been deemed unfit due to an ankle injury.

"He's been with the medical team all week. We've tried to increase his training but it's clear to us he's not going to be ready for our matches, so he's out of the two games and going back to his club," Southgate said.

Rashford's absence is a blow to England, with the 21-year-old having established himself as United's first-choice striker following the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager.

READ: Kazakhstan 3 Scotland 0: McLeish's men torn asunder in Astana

He has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season, including a last-gasp penalty to help propel United past Paris Saint-Germain and into the Champions League quarterfinals.

Southgate has not ruled out calling up a replacement for the Montenegro game should any of his other attackers suffer a setback against the Czech Republic.

But he insisted it would be a player currently in the Three Lions' system.

"We will have a look where we after the game on Friday. At the moment that’s not our intention, but if we lose anyone after the game then we'll do it.

"If we do it, it'll probably be someone from the Under-21s, as we'll know they've been training all week, not in Dubai or Ibiza or anywhere else," he said.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment