Roy Keane has insisted Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford should be starting games for England instead of Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon.
Rashford, currently on loan at Barcelona from United, was handed a start for England in the World Cup qualifying match against Serbia on Thursday.
But Rashford faces a battle with Gordon to cement himself in the England XI on a regular basis ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Gordon missed the 2-0 win over Serbia with injury but Keane says Rashford should start over the Newcastle star when both players are fit.
‘If you’re comparing the two of them, Rashford and Gordon at their very best, I’m going for Rashford,’ Keane told ITV.
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‘He (Rashford) can still frustrate you, of course, but he’s a threat and when he’s on top form he is a handful. You wouldn’t want to face him.’
In his half-time analysis of Rashford’s performance, Keane added: ‘He’s been busy [against Serbia], he’s been lively, he’s made a couple of runs but he’s probably a little disappointed with his end product because he’s in great form and doing really well at Barcelona.
‘His movement off the ball… He looks confident. Nice link up play on the left-hand side [with Nico O’Reilly]. He’s been a threat. But at the end of it, you want a bit more.’
Rashford has shined for Barcelona since joining the La Liga side on loan, conjuring up six goals and nine assists across his opening 16 games.
Gordon, meanwhile, has scored four goals and provided an assist in 13 appearances for Newcastle this season.
Will Rashford return to Man Utd after Barcelona loan?
Last month, Rashford told United that he wants to extend his stay at Barcelona beyond the current season.
Barcelona have the option to make the loan move permanent next summer for £28m.
Asked if he wants to stay at Barcelona, Rashford told ESPN: ‘Oh yeah, for sure.
‘I’m enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player is an honour.’
Meanwhile, former United striker Louis Saha has dismissed the notion that £28m is a bargain price for Barcelona to sign Rashford when considering his previous struggles at Old Trafford.
‘I think Marcus Rashford does provide a bit of worry,’ Saha said. ‘What happened to him at United?
‘It’s not a bargain because of what he went through in a really tough moment. He didn’t play well for two years. He had a lot of issues.’