Wayne Rooney compares England’s ‘real asset’ to Kylian Mbappe – ‘the best player for Harry Kane’
Wayne Rooney has lauded England and Man Utd star Marcus Rashford as he is currently the “best player for Harry Kane” to line up alongside.
Rashford struggled last season after recovering from shoulder surgery but he has returned to his best this season under Erik ten Hag.
His situation last season got so bad that he was linked with a move away from Man Utd in the summer with PSG said to be interested.
But he has been afforded a fresh start under Ten Hag and he has been superb.
His newfound confidence has also served England well at the World Cup in Qatar. He is among the leading scorers in the tournament with his three goals in the group stages.
Despite his great form, it is being reported that Rashford will drop out of the starting eleven for England’s round of 16 clash against Senegal.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Rashford campaigned for free school meals for children across the country and his work led to the government changing their policy.
Rooney thinks this got “too much” for Rashford and he is now “in a much better place”.
“It looks like Marcus is in a much better place in his head and the big thing, for me, is that during Covid he did so much campaigning work and got involved with a lot of stuff off the pitch.” Rooney told The Times.
“His achievements were incredible, but I think it might have been a bit too much for him. Rather than being able to just focus on his football, there was a lot on his plate, whereas what we’ve seen this season is very much a focus on football first rather than anything else. From some of the goals he has scored, you can see he is in a different headspace.
“I watched Marcus develop at Manchester United and there are not many players with his speed and direct running at goal.
“You never know how much football players these days actually watch but I know from being in camps that at tournaments you sit around together watching a lot of games as a group.”
Rooney went onto liken Rashford to France and PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe.
“You see his confidence and his willingness to run in behind. He always wants the ball,” Rooney added.
“That Marcus Rashford is a real asset for England.
“If Harry Kane is going to drop deep and play through balls then Marcus, with those runs, is probably the best player for Harry to play with.
“And I reckon, watching France, Marcus will be watching Kylian Mbappe and how, when he gets the ball on the left, he is so fast and direct. I reckon Marcus will be looking at Mbappe and thinking, ‘I can do that’.”