Rashford 'dead cert to start for me' - Walcott

Former England winger Theo Walcott says Marcus Rashford is the Three Lions subordinate helium is "most psyched about" astatine the upcoming World Cup.

Rashford was near retired of Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad and did not play for his state for 12 months betwixt March 2024 and 2025.

Re-introduced by Thomas Tuchel, helium has featured successful each Three Lions squad nether the German different than successful June 2025 erstwhile a hamstring wounded ruled him out.

A indebtedness spell astatine Barcelona, wherever helium scored 14 goals and registered 14 assists successful 47 games for the La Liga champions, has revitalised the 28-year-old Manchester United forward's career.

He started England's 1-0 affable win implicit New Zealand connected Saturday and portion Tuchel said determination were "no hidden messages" wrong his first-half line-up, Walcott believes Rashford has to commencement astatine the World Cup.

"Rashford this twelvemonth has been outstanding," Walcott said connected The Wayne Rooney Show.

"I've watched him rather a lot. I recovered the emotion of watching Barcelona again and took much of an involvement with Rashford going retired there. It's been large for him.

"He would beryllium a dormant cert to commencement for me. The mode he's played, that freedom, that enjoyment. We privation to spot that smile."

Rashford was England's agleam spark successful the archetypal fractional against New Zealand, creating 5 chances.

"Rashford's going to beryllium a large portion of this tournament," Walcott added. "I'm looking guardant to watching him. Out of each the players, I'm astir psyched astir him.

"I deliberation he's brave to spell overseas - it's large erstwhile English players go. I wasn't brave enough, but for him to bash that shows bully character."

Against New Zealand, Rashford was replaced astatine half-time by caller Barcelona signing Anthony Gordon arsenic Tuchel switched each 11 players for the 2nd half.

His nine aboriginal is inactive uncertain with Barca yet to marque his indebtedness determination from Manchester United permanent.

The Catalan nine person a deadline of 15 June - 2 days earlier England's World Cup opener against Croatia - to activate a clause to trigger a £26m deal.

Rooney is United's all-time starring scorer and said the diminution of Rashford's Old Trafford vocation was sad.

"I deliberation it's a shame that helium near Manchester United - he's a Manchester lad," Rooney said. "He's the 1 subordinate who's got a accidental to get my grounds there.

"Records are determination for idiosyncratic to interruption and for a Manchester lad to bash it, I deliberation would beryllium great. But implicit the past fewer years, helium hasn't been contiguous there. We cognize what a bully subordinate helium is, truthful helium astir apt needed that change. It's a shame to spot it spell the mode it has due to the fact that I'd inactive emotion him there."

Rooney and Walcott were joined connected the amusement by Jermain Defoe arsenic the trio reminisced connected their clip with England.

For their penultimate friendly, Tuchel's broadside were without Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke aft their Premier League rubric triumph and the Champions League final.

With 3 of Aston Villa's Europa League winners besides successful the squad, positive Crystal Palace's Conference League-winning goalkeeper Dean Henderson, Defoe believes players winning trophies astatine nine level tin lone assistance England astatine the World Cup.

"They've got tourney acquisition now," helium said. "Not lone tourney experience, but getting to finals, being successful touching distance. So the squad person to spell into it confident.

"They person to judge that they tin get implicit the line. They person to judge they tin vie against different nations. We tin speech astir France and Argentina, but they'll beryllium talking astir England. I'm definite they volition beryllium talking astir England being 1 of their favourites with the players that we've got."

Rooney has spoken antecedently astir immoderate of Tuchel's call-ups for his World Cup squad and his "shock" astatine Harry Maguire's omission.

But helium said England fans and ex-players person to spot the manager.

"He's evidently thought astir what squad he's going to prime and why," Rooney said.

"There volition beryllium reasons wherefore helium hasn't taken Cole Palmer oregon Phil Foden oregon Maguire and wherefore he's taken others - but I spot him. He's a apical manager, helium knows what's astatine involvement and he's picked a squad that helium thinks tin vie to triumph the World Cup.

"I would person made a mates of antithetic decisions than helium has but that's wherefore he's England manager. He is determination to marque these decisions. We conscionable person to backmost him."

Tuchel is bidding to go the archetypal England manager since Sir Alf Ramsey to triumph the World Cup and extremity a 60-year wait.

"I deliberation heavy down helium believes helium tin bash it," Walcott said, "otherwise helium wouldn't person committed to this. It's going to beryllium tough, but you've got to believe. I think: 'Why not? Why can't they?'"

"England tin triumph - there's nary doubting that," Rooney added. "You request a spot of luck on the mode but I deliberation you've got a apical manager, a truly bully squad and you request everything to beryllium right. If that's the case, we tin surely triumph it."