Thomas Tuchel insisted that England forward Marcus Rashford can be ‘one of the world’s best’, but only if he improves in one key area.
Rashford was left out of England’s squad for Euro 2024 last summer, but saw his England fortunes revived by Tuchel after the German named him in his first squad back in March.
Now out on loan at Barcelona, Rashford is showing signs of getting back to his best after falling out of favour at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim.
Rashford has scored three goals and produced five assists in 10 games for the Spanish giants, but Tuchel said the 27-year-old must continue in that vein if he is to fulfill on his talent..
‘I think the limit for him is very high,’ said Tuchel ahead of England’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia on Tuesday.
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‘Maybe higher than for others. He has the potential, but potential is a dangerous word with high-level sports.
‘You have to reach your personal best on a regular basis, that is what is demanded on this kind of level and that is the challenge for him.
‘It’s not a question of talent, it’s a question of whether he can prove the point at club and international level.
‘He can be one of the best in the world because of the quality I see in training, the finishing with both legs and with the head.
‘He is explosive, he is fast, he is strong in the air, so where are the limits? There are no limits – but the numbers don’t reach the potential, it is as easy as that.
‘He is still young enough (27 years old) to take the right decisions and not let go. Because otherwise he will be disappointed in 10 years at what could have been and what he made of it.’
Rashford, himself, conceded that he needed to improve his consistency, but hinted that the ‘inconsistent environment’ at United had played a part in his struggles.
‘Consistency is a massive part of it. I feel like I’ve been in an inconsistent environment for a very, very long time. So it’s even more difficult to be consistent then,’ Rashford told ITV in a clip that was posted on social media and later deleted.
‘Consistency is what I need to bring into my game. I’m looking to do that, I want to be at my best, not sometimes, but as often as possible.
‘When people talk about consistency, in order to be consistent in anything, not just sport, you need consistent variables in your life, in the way you train and we’ve just had so many changes so far in my career.
‘I have to look forward and that’s definitely one of the things I want to put right and improve on and to be at my best more often. When I’m at my best I really enjoy everything about the sport, so being there is a special thing for me.’
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