Marcus Rashford’s brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, took to social media to subtly criticize Gareth Southgate shortly after England’s lackluster 1-1 draw with Denmark.

England’s Three Lions struggled to assert themselves in the match held in Frankfurt, where their earlier goal by Harry Kane was cancelled out by a long-range strike from Denmark’s Morten Hjulmand. Despite having attacking stars like Kane, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden, England’s attacking efforts were limited to half-chances throughout the game.

Southgate had plenty of attacking options at his disposal but chose to leave out Marcus Rashford, alongside other prominent players such as James Maddison and Jack Grealish, from his squad. Rashford’s omission from the squad was confirmed by his current manager at Manchester United, Erik ten Hag, who later commented that he was not surprised by the decision.

On Instagram, Maynard suggested that Rashford could have made a difference for England, implying that the team might have fared better with him in the lineup. Rashford had been a regular for England in major tournaments since his international debut in 2016, but after a rocky season with Manchester United, Southgate opted not to include him in the 26-man provisional squad.

Ten Hag, despite understanding Southgate’s decision, had previously noted that Rashford and Grealish were both lacking in form this season. Rashford’s challenging campaign included missing training following a lengthy drinking session in Belfast, which made headlines. His absence from training led to him being excluded from United’s FA Cup win over Newport before he returned to the starting lineup against Wolves shortly after.

Despite the turmoil, Rashford’s form has been inconsistent, with his performance this season contributing to Manchester United’s worst-ever Premier League finish. Nevertheless, Ten Hag had tipped England to go far in Euro 2024, acknowledging the strength of the attacking talent available to Southgate.