Thomas Tuchel has spoken to Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford about their poor performances on his debut as England manager but insisted he still has full faith in them.
Sir Gareth Southgate's successor began his spell in charge with a 2-0 win over Albania at a packed Wembley Stadium, with Miles Lewis-Skelly scoring on his first match and captain Harry Kane extending his record goal tally to 70.
It has been a good start to World Cup qualifying but Tuchel wants more, including the hope that Foden and Rashford will be more “effective” on the flanks.
“I'm sure they understand (what I expect from them),” head coach Tuchel said ahead of Monday's qualifier against Latvia. “I've spoken to both of them, including discussions with the rest of the group.
“They understand that I appreciate their efforts, especially in the aspect of playing without the ball.
“Marcus had a lot of runs when we had the ball and we didn't see it and we didn't take advantage of it. He was maybe a little bit unlucky with his timing and we underestimated him at times.
“Phil may just not be finding the right rhythm at the moment, but they are both very positive, they have every right to be optimistic and they know exactly what we want from them.”
Tuchel is determined to give them more opportunities to make one-off runs and get them playing with the confidence that Rashford lacked before his move to Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United.
Foden, who returned to the England squad after a difficult season at Manchester City, was named PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year last season.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
