Shock snub could fuel Man United star's anger and help Erik ten Hag after unusual decision

From a Manchester United point of view, Marcus Rashford getting just 15 minutes of football in the international break would have been beneficial. The lack of game time will have kept him fresh ahead of a crucial run-in and - maybe - it will have fuelled him to make his point in the next couple of months.

Gareth Southgate's use of Rashford in the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium was unusual. Earlier this season, when the forward was struggling for form, he played 96 minutes in the September internationals, 119 minutes in October and 67 in November. Now he is finding his best form again and England chased both games, he was hardly used.

Maybe there were mitigating factors. Perhaps Southgate wanted to have a look at the more inexperienced forward options in the squad. But Rashford has surely left the final international camp before a 23-man squad for the European Championship is named fearing for his place in that group.

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He was handed 15 minutes against Brazil on Saturday night, but saw Anthony Gordon start ahead of him and Jarrod Bowen come on before him. Against Belgium, Rashford was an unused substitute, with Bowen starting on the right, Foden playing on the left and Gordon once again coming on ahead of him.

Rashford's reduced playing time on international duty is even more unusual in a week when Harry Kane didn't play a minute for his country. Southgate gave auditions to Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney to be back-up strikers but it's a role Rashford has played in the past and his versatility is usually a bonus. He played on the right at times in