Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has put his omission from the England squad for the upcoming clashes with Italy and Germany down to an 'untimely injury'.
Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate, who guided his team to the final of the European Championship last year, named his squad for the upcoming Nations League double header on Thursday afternoon, leaving United duo Jadon Sancho and Rashford out of his 28-man squad. Both players were fighting to regain their places after being left out of the most recent squad in June.
They have both started this season reasonably well, particularly Rashford, who has scored three goals and grabbed two assists in his last four United appearances. Sancho, meanwhile, has scored twice in his last four Premier League outings.
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Neither of them, however, have done enough to win their places back, meaning they face a race against time to make Southgate's squad for the World Cup in November. But while Sancho has been overlooked because of his form, Rashford's absence from the squad, by his own admission, is because of the muscle problem that has forced him to miss United's Europa League clash with Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday evening, suggesting that he was set for a recall.
"Good luck to the boys later today, @ManUtd," Rashford posted on his Twitter page.
"In regards to @England, every player wants to represent their country and I'm no different! Unfortunately, I'm not ready yet as I've picked up an untimely injury."
The upcoming international break will represent Southgate's last chance to assess his squad ahead of naming his travelling party for Qatar. Fellow United duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, meanwhile, have been included the squad for the meetings with Italy and Germany later this month but have been sent a warning by their international manager.
Shaw has won his place back in the squad after being left out back in June. However, he has not featured in any of United's last four league matches and has been nursing an injury. England boss Southgate has hinted, however, that there is plenty of time for Rashford to regain his place in his squad ahead of the World Cup.
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