Marcus Rashford issued Paul Gascoigne warning as England legend makes claim
David Seaman has compared Marcus Rashford being left out of the England Euro 2024 squad to Paul Gascoigne being omitted for the 1998 World Cup - from which Gazza never returned.
While Rashford scored seven goals and set up three for team-mates, he had a sub-par season for Manchester United, with the Red Devils finishing a dismal eighth - the club's lowest top-flight finish since 1989/90. And stiff competition from the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Anthony Gordon meant that he didn't even make Gareth Southgate's initial 33-man cut for Germany this summer.
Speaking about his decision to cut Rashford from the team, the England manager explained: "These are difficult calls. With Marcus I just feel other players in that area have had better seasons. It's as simple as that." One former England legend who was surprised to hear that Rashford wouldn't be making the trip to Germany was veteran goalkeeper Seaman, who explained that the cut reminded him of Glenn Hoddle's decision to leave out Gazza from the World Cup in France.
Writing in his column for Betway Insider, Seaman said: "The Rashford situation makes me think back to Glenn Hoddle leaving Paul Gascoigne out for the 1998 World Cup. The day started with the whole squad playing golf. I played with Gazza, Ian Walker and Phil Neville on that day, and none of them were in the squad, so I think I might have been the jinx!
"We all had our allotted times to see the manager, and when Gazza went in, I had no idea of what was going to happen. He found out he wasn’t going and had a huge argument with Glen Hoddle. Gazza was so devastated, it was hard to pick him up and get him on the plane home.
"I’d never have imagined that would be the end of his England career. He wasn’t always fit, but he was still so brilliant and always seemed to make an impact. Once the manager’s made that call, though, it doesn’t look good. It can happen in football – you get left out once, and that’s it, you’re done."
David Seaman compared the Rashford snub to Gazza in 1998
Gazza was left out in '98 due to fitness concerns from Hoddle, with the former manager later admitting that the decision was the saddest thing he'd ever had to do. Newcastle native Gascoigne had enjoyed three years with Rangers at the time of his omission, scoring 30 goals in 74 appearances - and he was highly considered to be one of the greatest English attacking midfielders at the time.
Seaman believes that Rashford could make his way back into the England team in the future, despite a temporary setback in missing Euro 2024. He added: "We know he’s a good player and he’s not dealing with any kind of injuries, like Gazza was. We all knew that Gazza would produce a moment of magic, and I still feel that Rashford can do that."
The ex-Arsenal and England keeper did admit that he was sad to see Rashford struggling at club level, dubbing the left-winger as one of England's best players. He added: "It’s sad to see one of England’s best players struggling, though, because everybody knows what Marcus is capable of.
Gascoigne would famously be cut from the 1998 World Cup
"He’s a proper professional, but his form’s not there, and that’s the puzzling part of it. People have suggested he could leave Manchester United, but if it was me, I would stay. They haven’t had the best of seasons – aside from winning the FA Cup, which is a real positive – but it’s a massive club.
"Clubs don’t come much bigger, except maybe Real Madrid or Barcelona, but you don’t join those clubs unless you’re playing well. He needs to regain his form for United. It’s been one season on, one season off for him, which means next season should be a good one!"
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