England: ‘Right moment’ to recall Rashford, says Tuchel

England boss Thomas Tuchel says it was ‘the right moment’ to recall on-loan Aston Villa forward Marcus Rashford.

Rashford has impressed since swapping Manchester United for Villa Park in January and has been included to face Albania and Latvia.

Tuchel said: “He’s had a huge impact lately in the matches at Aston Villa.

“I was delighted to see his effort on the ball and his effort to be the best team-mate possible and his consistent energy.

So, what does Thomas Tuchel have to say about his first #ThreeLions squad? 💭

Watch our full interview now 👇

— England (@England) March 14, 2025

“There is no doubt about his talent and about his quality, but to see him so decisive and so physically involved gave me the impression that it is the right moment to call him up and give him the extra push that he stays on that level.”

Rashford has not played for England for a year, having missed out on the Euros. Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is also in after an even longer absence while Dan Burn has been given a maiden call up at 32.

Tuchel said: “The focus is not only on talent and not only on quality, it is what you bring to the group and how you be a good team-mate.

“These players carry values on their shoulders and carry their teams.”

There was no place for Conor Gallagher, Jack Grealish or James Maddison, nor Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarrad Branthwaite and Angel Gomes.

Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly has been put on the fast track and misses out on the Under-21s altogether.

“We accelerate Myles’ career again which is already on fast track. He’s a regular starter and a regular player for Arsenal at the moment,” Tuchel said.

“He’s nothing but impressive. He will now skip the under-21s which would be a regular pathway for him but due to injuries and due to the flexibility that we want to have in our squad and due to his capability, quality and game time recently, he deserves to be with us.

“(Burn) has had a very impressive career and he’s a very solid player. He’s a very solid defender and a leader in the group. I have spoken to Dan and it was a very impressive phone call with very impressive messages that made me very comfortable in this call-up that we have picked a top team player that will help us build the right team.”