England fans slam Gareth Southgate as Marcus Rashford is excluded from England starting XI vs Senegal

England fans are unhappy that Marcus Rashford has been benched by England manager Gareth Southgate for England’s starting XI in their round of 16 match against Senegal.

The Manchester United forward has managed to score 3 goals in England’s group-stage encounters, and is currently joint-second on the scoring charts alongside Lionel Messi, Olivier Giroud, Enner Valencia, Cody Gakpo, and Alvaro Morata.

Also Read| Handball and not a penalty? Fans upset after Senegal not awarded spot kick vs England in FIFA World Cup 2022

Southgate has chosen Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka to start in the right wing and Phil Foden of Manchester City in the left wing, with Harry Kane playing as the centre forward. 

Check out some fan reactions to Rashford’s exclusion right here:

One Twitter user is worried that Rashford’s exclusion might hamper his chances to win the Golden Boot: “No Rashford in the England squad against Senegal. Hopefully Gareth Southgate hasn’t thwarted whatever chance Rashford has to challenge for the Golden Boot.”

Earlier, Gary Lineker, the former England forward who played against Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup was subject to criticism on social media when he suggested that Southgate should bench right back Kyle Walker against Senegal so that he is ready to face France in the quarter-finals. 

Linenker’s exact comment was, “We, England, cannot afford for Walker to get injured in that match. Because he is just about the only full-back on the planet who can compete with Kylian Mbappe.”

Also Read| Mbappe, 23, equals Messi’s tally in World Cups, overtakes Ronaldo with goal vs Poland: Watch

Some fans criticised Lineker because he seemed to suggest that Senegal are a weak opponent and that the road to the quarterfinal will be a cakewalk for the Three Lions. However, the 62-year-old later took to Twitter and claimed that he was not being disrespectful to Senegal and had merely suggested benching Walker as a precaution.

Senegal have qualified from the second spot in Group A after defeating Ecuador and hosts Qatar. Netherlands, who topped the group, defeated USA to reach the quarterfinal of the tournament where they will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina.