Talk of Rashford for England insults Mark Noble.
Roy Hodgson was asked about Marcus Rashford’s England chances a week or so ago, in the middle of the youngsters run in the United first team. “I hope he has a good end to the season. Most of all, I hope he is allowed to develop as an 18-year-old should and people don’t try to put him under pressure. Scoring four goals in three games [as of March 3] is a great achievement and, if he can keep that up, it is great for Manchester United and England as well. I would neither rule him in or rule him out [of senior contention in the summer]. I just hope he can do well.”
.@Noble16Mark looks full of confidence as he leads his players into Old Trafford. #MNUWHU pic.twitter.com/hrHrqK4MY1
— West Ham United FC (@whufc_official) 13 March 2016
A flirty tidbit, to be sure, but one that betrays just what’s wrong with the English media, the national team, and their relationships with flavour-of-the-week starlets. Rashford has done well, to be sure, but England links? He only just merited an under-21 call-up, and is still light-years away from earning a place at the Euros. Mark Noble, on the other hand, has a fine under-21 record, having captained his country at that level. He has been one of the league’s best two-way midfielders this season, captaining a team punching well above their weight, and yet there hasn’t been a whiff of any ‘Noble for England’ campaign. He isn’t stylish, or young, or all that handsome. But he does deserve much more credit than he gets, and it would do Hodgson well to mention him every once in a while.
