THOMAS TUCHEL has warned Marcus Rashford that he is not living up to his potential to be ‘one of the best in the world’.
The England boss is demanding more goals and assists from the Barcelona loanee, who has managed only one strike from the penalty spot in seven appearances under the German.
The Three Lions will secure qualification for the World Cup by defeating Latvia on Tuesday, and Tuchel believes Rashford is capable of lighting up the biggest stage if he discovers greater consistency.
Tuchel said: “He can be one of the best in the world because the quality I see in training, his finishing with both feet and with the head.
“He is explosive, he is fast, he is strong in the air, so where are the limits? There are no limits.
“But the numbers don’t reach the potential, it is as easy as that. He needs to push himself into goal involvements, that means goals and assists.
“The limit for him is very, very high. Maybe higher than for others. He has the potential but potential is a dangerous word with high-level sports.
“You have to reach your personal best on a regular basis, that is what is demanded on this kind of level and that is the challenge for him.
“It’s not a question of talent, it’s a question of whether he can prove the point at club and international level.
“This is his task, whether he starts for us or comes off the bench he has to constantly prove himself.”
Rashford has managed three goals and five assists since joining Barca on loan from Manchester United this summer – and the Nou Camp side are keen to make the move permanent.
Rashford claimed on Monday he’s been suffering in an “inconsistent environment for a very long time” in an apparent dig at the Red Devils.
But Tuchel still believes there is plenty more to come from the 27-year-old.
He said: “Marcus creates quite a lot of chances but for the quality and finishing that we see with training, he just doesn’t score enough, so that’s the next step.”
Asked whether his career could have been derailed, Tuchel replied: “I think he is still on that (stage). He still has to make these decisions.
“He is still in that moment, he is still young enough to take the right decisions, and not let go.
“Because otherwise he will be disappointed in ten years at what could have been and what he made of it.
“I can feel him for him and I thought in my first camp (as England manager) that it would help him if he felt my support for him.
“He was at Aston Villa at the time. That was quite a bold move because to go into a working team, a team that was well settled and played a hard-working style.
“That was a very good move for him and he settled in very quickly and for his work rate without the ball is why I selected him.”
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