Paul Merson thinks England manager Gareth Southgate lost faith in Marcus Rashford after the Manchester United star missed a training session following his night out in Belfast. The 26-year-old's absence from the Three Lions' provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024 was a huge shock. It is the first time Southgate has not included the United forward in a major tournament squad.
While Rashford's form on the pitch has left much to be desired, his most memorable contribution to the season was not showing up for a United training session in January after being spotted on a night out in Belfast. His partying antics saw United manager Erik ten Hag jettison him from an FA Cup match against Newport County. After his omission from the Three Lions' Euro 2024 plans, Merson believes that was the moment Southgate lost faith in him.
Football unites to help save FA Cup replays as Premier League slammed for 'obscene' stance Alan Shearer singles out England star with 'X-factor' and makes Euro 2024 prediction Merson said: "I back a lot of players because you don't know what is going on in their minds, you don't know what is going on behind the scenes. But you can't miss training. You can't.
"I remember when I was 17 and I went out with my cousin's boyfriend and I didn't get up for work in the morning - and my dad told me off so badly. I was 17 or 18 and he said: 'Do not ever miss training'. "I never missed another day's training in my life, even when I went out.
I was getting back at 6am and I st.
