Teddy Sheringham picks England's starting XI vs Croatia and has say on Marcus Rashford's future

"I did watch the game against Costa Rica and I was very impressed with England. First and foremost I thought the tempo was great, but then the attitude of the players as well. I thought everybody was 100% committed to the game, which is very unusual when you could be saving yourself for the first match of the tournament. I think that’s all testament to the manager and what he wants from his team. He probably wanted to see exactly what he’s got at his disposal, and you can’t always tell that when players are at, say, 85%. I think he would have learned a lot about his team from that game on Wednesday. I was very pleased with what I saw, so I hope Thomas Tuchel was too.

In terms of what the starting line-up for Croatia will look like, I don’t think it’ll be too different to the team who started against Costa Rica. So Jordan Pickford will obviously play in goal, then it’ll be Reece James and Nico O’Reilly as full-backs, then I think Ezri Konsa will play alongside Marc Guehi. I know John Stones started on Wednesday, and the manager loves him, but I think he’ll be used sparingly, and if needed. There’s not a lot between those three, though, to be honest."

"The midfield speaks for itself at the moment. It’s Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, and in those two you’ve got good legs in there, they’re comfortable on the ball and will play nice passes into the front. I think Jude Bellingham has done enough, especially looking at his attitude and desire on Wednesday, to make himself a starter for the Croatia game.

Harry Kane plays up top, and then it’s about fitting four into two out wide. I think Bukayo Saka will probably play, and he’ll want to get off to a good start. So Saka just edges it on the right for me, but Noni Madueke is a very similar player, being left-footed, quick, wanting to take people on and cut in. I just think Saka’s decision-making is better, and so I’d be starting with him, even if he’s carrying a bit of an injury. And then you’ve got a similar situation on the left-hand side, with Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford, who are both right-footed left-wingers. They’re both very, very quick, they can both score a goal, they both want to take people on. Gordon probably did enough on Wednesday to justify a starting spot next week."

Teddy Sheringham's England XI vs Croatia

Pickford / James, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly / Rice, Anderson / Saka, Bellingham, Gordon / Kane

"The Marcus Rashford situation is an awkward one this summer, away from the World Cup. I don’t know whether Barcelona are playing a game to try and get him for even less money, but they’ve just signed Anthony Gordon, so it’s a strange position Rashford finds himself in.

He’s obviously got a contract with Man United but he’s also put himself on a platform for teams to come and get him. Whether Michael Carrick has had a conversation with him yet or not, we don’t know. I’m sure he will have done, because he is a Manchester United player. We don’t know what’s going on in Marcus’ head though. All I know is he’s on the biggest platform in the world over the next few weeks, and he’s got a great chance to put himself out there.

I’d probably say a fresh start is needed for him now. Look, he’s contracted to one of the biggest clubs in the world and a lot of players would jump at that opportunity. But after the way he performed at United for the last six months – maybe even longer – and the comments that have come out since he left, I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to go back to United. I think that’s a tough crowd to win over. Look, it can be done, and there’s definitely a player that they can use in there. But Rashford at United, do you have a happy player, a happy manager, and is everyone content with what you’ve got in that scenario? I would say probably not."

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