Teddy Sheringham has watched Marcus Rashford closely for years, and while his admiration for the forward's raw ability remains intact, his reservations about consistency at the highest level have not changed. Speaking to BOYLE Sports , Sheringham gave a candid assessment of what Rashford can offer England at this summer's World Cup following his time at Barcelona , and weighed him up directly against Anthony Gordon for the left wing spot.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's absence from the England squad also drew strong comment from Sheringham . He would have taken Trent and used him strategically against the weaker sides in the group stage to unlock defences sitting deep. Beyond England , Sheringham had plenty to say about where Trent could end up at club level, with Arsenal and Manchester City both discussed, and a fascinating observation about how Pep Guardiola's evolving use of full-backs makes Trent a natural fit for that style of play.
From there, Sheringham turned his attention to Arsenal's Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain , drawing a direct parallel with his own famous 1999 winner's medal with Manchester United and identifying the two Gunners he believes could be the match-winners. He also gave a brisk, emphatic verdict on the Mikel Arteta versus Sir Alex Ferguson comparison that has been circulating, before casting his eye across next season's Premier League title race.
Marcus Rashford
Rashford's Consistency
Can Marcus Rashford be a star for England at the World Cup ? It is still the same issue for me with Marcus . I do not know what his best position is. He has got flashes of world-class quality with the things he does in a game, and that is what you need at this sort of level.
He always has the potential to unleash something every now and again, go past four people and rifle one into the top corner, but we only see flashes of it. He is still not a consistent player, but at a World Cup, you do need people to come alive in certain moments, and that is why he is in the squad.
Rashford Or Gordon?
It is between Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford down that left-wing spot, and they have both got their qualities. Gordon has got unbelievable pace. He can get past players, too, with his speed.
It all comes down to who has the trickery to go and deliver something for the team out on that left wing. They are both wingers who can do something for themselves out on their own, but what I want to see is who can do the most to deliver for someone else.
Should Rashford Go Back To United?
I think with his reaction to the England squad and his other antics and goings on, that he has made it quite clear he does not want to come back to United . I think Rashford coming back to United would be a bad move for all concerned because the pressure would be on him and the team at every moment. Yes, things can turn around. If he did want to come back, he could explain his motives over the last couple of years.
Did he have a problem with Ruben Amorim ? Or does he have a problem with the football club? If he has got no problem with the club, and it was all due to the previous manager, that is an issue that can be solved, and all can be forgiven, but some of the performances he was putting in during his last season were not great. He would need to turn things around and win people back again.
Michael Carrick has to make the decision on whether he knows Rashford well enough to get the best out of him, or whether bringing him back would put them both back in the same scenario. It is all about their relationship, for me, because it looks like Carrick is going to be at Manchester United as manager for a long, long time, and he has got to get in the players who will respond to him as manager. I am not sure if Rashford would respond in the right way.
Trent's Next Club
How Tuchel Should Have Used Trent
You can criticise Trent Alexander-Arnold for his defending, but that is his game, and he gives you something different from right back. He is not Gary Neville . He is not some dependable type. He is the player who can come up with something, come at things from another angle. If you are playing against some of the weaker teams who are all sitting back, and you need to break the lock, then he would be one that could find the way through.
Trent should give any team he is in that little something extra. I would have wanted Trent to play in the earlier games of the World Cup . Set up three goals in three games or something. After that, he would be disappointed if he was all of a sudden dropped when England came up against a good team with a half-decent left winger, but these are the calls managers should be making.
That would have been up to Tuchel . You pick different personnel for different matches to win different games, and that is the beauty of having 26 men in a squad, but that is why I would have taken Trent . No one else gives you what he can offer. It is something different.
Could Trent Go To Arsenal?
Liverpool fans might not want him back, so it does narrow down where he could go. He does not immediately strike me as an Arsenal player, to be fair. I think they are too strong and resilient and work as a proper back four unit, but they could make it work for him.
Even if you have an organised back four with fantastic players, if you leave him on his own, Trent looks all over the place, but that was true of Harry Maguire when Manchester United were not playing well. If you did that to Tony Adams or Steve Bruce , they would have looked shocking.
If you put Trent in an organised, structured back four, and they work as a unit, that is what playing in a team like Arsenal is all about. If someone worked with Trent along those lines, coached him to get in the right position at the right times, then I am sure he could improve in that position to give Arsenal that extra dimension that he brings to a team. Trent would have been a Manchester City player under Pep Guardiola because he likes something different from his full-backs.
Everyone is raving about Nico O'Reilly being the best left back in the Premier League at the moment, but he does not play at left back for City . He might be on the team sheet as a left back; he has got a left foot, but he is not your traditional left back. He ends up playing like an inside forward, and that is how the game is changing. The position is evolving.
Arsenal In Europe
Can Arsenal Beat PSG?
You have got to back the English team in a game like this, even if it is Arsenal , but it is going to be a tough ask for them. You never know, though. We have seen that this Arsenal team knows how to win games. They do have an uncanny manner about them to grind results out of nothing.
If they need two players to step up in injury time as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and I did for Manchester United in 1999 , I think it will be Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard to win it. They are two quality players that know how to finish. Our two goals were scruffy goals to win the competition, but those two boys strike the ball how the ball should be struck.
I really like both of them as players, and if the ball falls to them in the right manner, they can both score goals from anywhere within twenty-five yards of goal. Inside the box, outside the box, they are both quite precise with their finishing, so they could score the winners for Arsenal .
Arteta vs Ferguson
Can we compare Mikel Arteta and Sir Alex Ferguson ? I will put it plain and simple. No. I do not even want to elaborate.
Premier League 26/27
Next Season's Table
Manchester City will win the title over Arsenal , I hope. Then you have got Manchester United and Aston Villa . It is going to be a tough time for Bournemouth because they will be in Europe . Same for Sunderland , too, since they will be in Europe as well. Both of those clubs could fall away a bit. Liverpool could go either way, and by that I mean they go like Tottenham Hotspur have with the environment turning very toxic very quickly if they keep their current manager in charge this summer.
Who knows what is going to happen with Tottenham ? Who knows what is going to happen at Chelsea ? Both clubs have huge question marks over them for me, and usually, they would be two of the sides you pick in the big six to put down straight away. Next season is going to be a jumble.
The only clubs with any consistency at the moment are Arsenal , Manchester City if they find the right manager to replace Pep Guardiola , Manchester United and Aston Villa , so I feel like the rest of the league are handing another title to Arsenal by default. And that is not what I want to be thinking about, someone telling me Arsenal are going to win it next year as well.
That has ruined my day, that has. Aston Villa are definitely in that grouping now, though. I like their manager. They have got a good squad with a good array of talent. They all work for each other; they all look like they are signing off the same hymn sheet. Aston Villa are just a really good team, and the season they have had to get into the top four and win the Europa League , it has been fantastic.
With Champions League money, you would hope they will be able to recruit more players and get one or two big players that fit what Unai Emery is trying to do and enhance what he has already got. He will pluck a few names from somewhere we have never even heard of, and they will make them better, too.
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