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MarcusRashford has taken a long and sometimes painful road to repair the confidence that looked shattered at points recently but he resembled someone reaching journey's end as he inspired England into the World Cup's last 16
A shadow of his true exciting talent, Marcus Rashford struggled on the margins at Manchester United last season, a shadow of his true exciting talent, but signs of recovery have been detected under new manager.
He is the top scorer for United with eight goals this season. After coming on as a substitute in the win against Iran, the forward made an immediate impact by scoring a goal and he was the star of the show with two more.
One of the proudest moments of his life was when he said "I lost one of my friends a few days ago." He had a battle with cancer. I was happy to score for him. He was a big fan of mine. He was in my life at one point.
As a result of being given a start here and performing with distinction, as well as end product, that he has put himself in serious contention for a place starting against the dangerous African champion.
Although he is a huge admirer of what he brings to England and will not exclude him without a great deal of thought, there is a chance that he may be under threat at his current club.
It's perfectly timed for England as they topped Group B with few alarms and now prepare for the tougher tests ahead, regardless of whether or not Marcus will fulfill his role.
When Harry Kane played in MarcusRashford, he missed a first-half chance that could have changed the complexion of the game.
He showed the confidence to power home a free-kick for England's opener then, after Phil Foden doubled England's lead, the Manchester United forward was rewarded for another driving run into the heart of the Wales defence when keeper Danny Ward let his shot through his legs
It was an element of luck but no more than Marcus Rashford as he now has an England scoring record of 15 goals from 49 games.
It was the second time that a Manchester United player had scored three or more goals at a major tournament, the first being at the 1966 World Cup.
He said after England were jeered off, they didn't need to tell them they didn't play well. The England fans gave the 25-year-old a standing ovation when he was taken off late on.
I play football for moments like this. I'm very happy to be going into the next round because I have big ambitions for this team. I believe we can go further.
Even though he is known for his loyalty, it is possible that he will bring back the two players for the game against Senegal. He has given a lot of headaches to the man.
After the draw against the USA, England's manager received some grief about conservatism, but the main priority was to get through the group stage. This has been accomplished and the selection of Southgate was a great success.
Foden, who didn't play against the USA, got his chance here, as he said he would. He justified his inclusion, and showed his talent, with a powerful run that drew a foul for the first goal, then showed his happy knack for arriving in the right place at the right time to sweep home Kane's cross to make it 2-0.
Another sign of the talent and flexibility in England's wide men is the success of Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden.
Kyle Walker is so vital to England's plans with his pace and flexibility that he will be happy to get almost an hour out of him. He injured his groin playing for Manchester City against Manchester United.
It was a great night for England and its coach. The post-game angst of the draw with USA was replaced with a song.
The first part of the mission is done. Now it's time for Senegalese.
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