Revealed: What led to England star Marcus Rashford's improvement since Euro 2020
Marcus Rashford's brace fired England to a 3-0 win against Wales at the Qatar World Cup 2022, which sealed their berth in the round of 16 at the showpiece event.
FollowTwo years ago at the Euro 2020, England star Marcus Rashford had a lacklustre tournament, and after he missed a penalty strike during the shootout against Italy in the finals, most people had written off the Manchester United youngster. However, the Rashford of today has been a revelation.
The 25-year-old forward has made an impression at the Qatar World Cup 2022, scoring in England's first game against Iran after coming off the bench and then scoring two spectacular goals in their 3-0 victory over Wales.
It stands in stark contrast to how the Manchester United star performed at the Euros 2020, when he featured in four matches during his country's route to the final but failed to score in the penalty shootout against Italy.
The attacker is a completely different player now, according to Southgate, who believes that a large part of that is due to the fact that he is happier at Manchester United.
"It's been a challenge for him," the manager said after the match against Wales.
"I went and saw him in the summer. I had a long chat with him. He had some clear ideas on things he felt he needed to do. You can see with his club he's been happy with his performances this year. I have to say that's shown itself on the training ground with us," the England manager added.
"We have a different version completely to the player we had at the Euros. He's managed to produce those moments tonight, he could have had a hat-trick. It's great for him, it's great for us," Southgate concluded.
Since making his England debut in 2016, Rashford has scored 15 goals in 49 games, and he is currently tied for the World Cup's most goals with three others.
