Marcus Rashford is set to return to the England setup after a 12-month absence but Jack Grealish is expected to be left out of Thomas Tuchel’s first squad as head coach.
Rashford, who joined Aston Villa from Manchester United on loan in January, has not played internationally since England’s friendly defeat by Brazil in March 2024.
The 27-year-old has yet to score for Villa but has provided three assists in nine matches. However, he has started just once in the Premier League.
Rashford has won 60 caps for England, scoring 17 times. Since representing England at the 2016 European Championship, the forward had not missed a major tournament for his country until he was left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros last summer.
Grealish, meanwhile, was named in the last England squad in November, before withdrawing ahead of the Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland.
The 29-year-old has struggled for minutes at Manchester City in the last few months, making just three substitute appearances in the Premier League in 2025.
Rashford’s Villa team-mate Morgan Rogers has been included in Tuchel’s selection, having been added to the squad in November after several injury withdrawals. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder featured in both games during that international window and has been in strong form for his club this season, registering 12 goals and seven assists in 41 matches.
Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire, meanwhile, has been ruled out with a calf injury and is unlikely to be available for Manchester United’s trip to Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
England begin their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign this month, facing Albania and Latvia at Wembley on March 21 and 24 respectively.
Tuchel’s squad is due to be announced on Friday morning, with the German to speak to the media shortly after.
(Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
