You would never have known from Marcus Rashford’s downbeat expression after that ponderous win last Thursday night that he had again shown how important he is going to be for England.
Understandable, perhaps. Because while all around him often looked bemused by the brick wall Slovenia built to defy him, the Manchester United striker was again the star of a distinctly dull show.
Okay, skipper Kane – Captain Marvel to his mates – predictably delivered the goods with his stoppage-time winner, and all credit to him. He’s pretty indispensable these days as well.
But even he would admit it will probably be young Rashford, just 20 in three weeks’ time, who will be the jewel in the crown if England get to wear one in Russia next summer.
He is, almost certainly, the best player this country has produced in decades. Better even than David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, and definitely as good as the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton, who watched proudly from his VIP seat at Wembley last week.
The rest of the world will get a better idea of just how good Rashford really is when he faces the much tougher opposition that Germany and Brazil, ranked No1 and two in the world, will provide next month.
They are billed as friendlies at Wembley, on November 10 and 14, but don’t kid yourselves. These two giants will have done their homework on him already and this truly will be the stage on which Rashford has the chance to show he is in their league.
It will also be an opportunity for the cautious Mr Southgate to play his prize asset up front with Kane in a 4-4-2 formation that most pundits predict would frighten the lives out of the big boys we are going to face in Russia.
Let’s face it, many of the top sides these days play against a lone striker every week; they have a pretty good idea how to handle most of them, most of the time.
Facing two of the calibre of Kane and Rashford, with the blistering pace and technique the wonder boy possesses, could finally provide a World Cup campaign to be proud of.
The mystery would be if the coach persists in playing him out wide.
Sighs of relief from our rivals would likely be audible all the way from Moscow.
Never mind that Jose Mourinho does the same at Manchester United for reasons only he knows. It would be a crying shame for Rashford, and England, if Southgate insists on following suit. It is an indication of Rashford’s growing stature that when the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic last season threatened to relegate him to a supporting act, he bounced back even better – in a central role of course. The boy still called “the kid” by everyone at Old Trafford recalled: “I knew how I’d react. It is more about what other people learnt about me.”
The hopes and dreams of those disgruntled England fans now rest on Southgate having learnt enough, and being bold enough, to let Rashford loose on the rest of the world alongside Kane.
This could start with some footballing fi reworks against Germany – appropriately in the same week as Guy Fawkes night.
