Troy Deeney Named 2 Players Who Deserved England Call Up Over Rashford

Former Watford striker Troy Deeney has named the two English stars he believes were more deserving of a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s first Three Lions squad than the returning Marcus Rashford. The Aston Villa loanee is set to return to international duty for the first time since 2024 after making a bright start to life at Villa Park following his temporary exit from Manchester United.

Tuchel claimed that he “had the strong feeling that we should nominate him,” though the decision has proven to be controversial, given that the winger’s form over the last 18 months has been below par. Deeney has now given two other alternatives he believes were robbed of a place in the squad in order to include Rashford.

New England manager Thomas Tuchel during the press conference

Thomas Tuchel Explains ‘Very Odd’ Jordan Henderson England Recall

The ‘very odd’ decision has been slammed by fans and journalists but Tuchel has now outlined why the 34-year-old is part of his plans.

Deeney Names Nottingham Forest and Other Villa Star Deserving of Call-Up

The striker also explained why Tuchel may have opted for Rashford

Speaking to talkSPORT, Deeney claimed that Nottingham Forest talisman Morgan Gibbs-White and Rashford’s Villa teammate Jacob Ramsey were far more deserving of an opportunity in Tuchel’s squad than the 27-year-old. The pair have been in incredible form and were some of the harshest omissions from Friday’s announcement.

While stating the case for the two attacking midfielders, Deeney also offered some sort of explanation as to why Rashford, who is still yet to find the net for his new club, may have gotten the nod.

“Obviously he’s trying to get back up to speed and it’s hard mid-season when you’re trying to catch up and everyone is in full flow,” Deeney said on Rashford’s loan spell. “There’s not a deep pool of number nines. Potentially that’s why Marcus has gone in there to be the second or third no.9.”

“I’m not (having that), to be honest with you. I want to make this very clear; this is not about Marcus Rashford. It’s not about him. It’s about the other guys who have been working week in, week out and putting in stellar performances and then being overlooked because of the name of Marcus Rashford.

“Players like Morgan Gibbs-White or even Jacob Ramsey at Aston Villa, he’s been excellent.

Rashford’s 2024/25 stats compared to Gibbs-White and Ramsey
Stat	Rashford	Gibbs-White	Ramsey
Games	33	26	34
Minutes	1961	2044	1706
Goals	7	5	3
Assists	7	6	5
Minutes per G&A	140.07	185.82	213.25

In terms of international experience, neither Gibbs-White or Ramey come close to Rashford, who has managed 60 caps compared to the duo’s two combined. However, while the general consensus is that Gibbs-White and Ramsey have been in better form, the numbers show that actually it is the 2024 FA Cup winner who has been more efficient in their production.

Had Ramsey been included, he would’ve been a third player in line to make their senior international bow, with Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly earning their first call-ups.