Gareth Southgate in warning to Rashford and Grealish as he names four in-form stars who could take their England spots
GARETH SOUTHGATE has warned misfiring Manchester pair Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish their Euro 2024 spots are not guaranteed.
Not with in-form Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon breathing down their necks ahead of next week’s friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
Manchester United star Rashford, 26, has just seven goals for his club in a poor season which also saw him call in sick for training in January following his infamous Belfast bender.
And City wideman Grealish, 28, has had a torrid time with form and injury, netting just three times.
A groin injury has ruled him out of England’s squad this international break.
Meanwhile, red-hot Bowen, 27, has 18 goals for West Ham this term in all competitions, with squad newbie Gordon, 23, finding the net ten times for Newcastle.
Speaking of Rashford, who takes on Liverpool today in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Three Lions chief Southgate said: “He’s a battle on his hands with Gordon, with [Cole] Palmer, with [Phil] Foden. He’s got big competition. So has Jack.
“These guys are playing well. Gordon, Bowen… they’re scoring regularly, they perform well for the team, they defend well, they work hard, they compete and we’ve got really good options in that area of the pitch.
“I can’t guarantee anybody [a spot at the Euros].
“We know what Marcus can bring but equally, everybody has to perform well between now and the end of the season.”
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Rashford hit the headlines for the wrong reasons two months ago after a tequila-fuelled booze-up in Northern Ireland saw him to miss United training the next day.
His goalscoring form has improved lately, with five goals in 11 games but the jury is still out with many fans on whether Southgate should take him to Germany this summer.
The England chief added: “What happens while players are with their clubs is club matters because they know the full story.
“Obviously, we observe everything, we don’t miss anything.
“I don’t say behaviours off the field are irrelevant because clearly they’re not.
“But the key thing is we are mainly focusing on performances on the field.”
Southgate has a real selection headache this summer as he can only pick 23 players for the Euros.
A spate of injuries to the likes of Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Luke Shaw, Marc Guehi and more have created opportunities for others to impress in the Wembley friendlies over the next nine days.
Those players include Gordon and fellow rookie Everton’s centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, 21, with Southgate urging the pair to seize their chance.
The 53-year-old manager added: “The opportunity is there for people in this camp. When you’re in, you have the chance to stay in.
“We are in the realms of competitive sport where you’ve got to rise to the challenge and accept competition for places but that’s healthy. It should drive performance.”
One man Southgate hinted he would have selected for the first time were it not for injury was Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, 23, who is currently sidelined with an ankle issue.
Southgate revealed: “He was definitely somebody we were tracking very closely ahead of his injury.
“He’s performed consistently well. We were without doubt very excited by his performances.”
Meanwhile, Mason Mount’s Euros dream looks over after his torrid first campaign at Old Trafford following his £55million switch from Chelsea.
The midfielder, 25, could be in today’s Red Devils squad for the first time since November following a calf injury.
Mount has 36 England caps and was previously one of Southgate’s go-to guys.
Southgate added: “The first step for him is to get back playing regularly for Manchester United.
“He’s had the best part of 15 months, because the end of Chelsea he didn’t play with the injury. He’s got to find the fitness, the sharpness.
“We know what he’s capable of but at the moment you’d have to say he’s an outside bet. I think he would accept that.”