England finished their World Cup preparations with a confidence-inducing 3-0 win against Costa Rica in a game where Man Utd saw double representation.
Both Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford had cameos off the bench, coming on in the 71st minute to secure the victory.
A clean sheet and three goals were as good as Thomas Tuchel could have wished for after a poor outing against New Zealand the last time out.
Here’s how the national press reacted to the performance of the Man Utd duo.
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National press reacts to Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford
Mainoo isn’t expected to be a starter for England at the World Cup, at least to begin the tournament.
Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice started and played the majority of minutes against Costa Rica, hinting at Thomas Tuchel’s preferred pairing.
After this win, even Rashford doesn’t look like he’ll start, after Anthony Gordon played well to pour salt over his Barcelona-inflicted wounds.
Rashford didn’t play badly, but Tuchel has revealed his cards now, and the national press seems to agree.
Sky Sports praised Rashford for his ability to “manoeuvre in tight spaces inside the box”, but rated Gordon 9/10, saying that he’s just won himself the starting spot.
BBC rated both Rashford and Mainoo 6.2/10, while Gordon was again the highest-rated player at 7.6/10.
Standard rated Rashford 5/10, bemoaning a lack of impact, while Mainoo was given 6/10 for “some nice turns” and “forcing a good save”.
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GOAL rated Rashford 6/10, saying he has “work to do” after Gordon’s impressive performance, while Mainoo was also given 6/10, but praised for “keeping his side ticking over”.
Mirror also rated both Rashford and Mainoo 6/10, with the pair simply not getting enough minutes to have a major impact on the game.
England’s next game is directly in the World Cup, against one-time finalists Croatia, on June 17 at the Dallas Stadium.
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