Rashford nets hat-trick on England U21 debut

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford scored a hat-trick on his England under-21 debut last night, as the Three Lions demolished Norway 6-1 in Colchester.

Marcus Rashford bagged a superb hat-trick on his England under-21 debut against Norway last night, to help Gareth Southgate’s men earn a 6-1 victory over their Norwegian counterparts.

Rashford was controversially omitted for the senior squad to face Slovakia in their opening World Cup qualifier by new manager Sam Allardyce.

Allardyce reasoned that Rashford, who is yet to start a game at club level for Manchester United this season, would be better served getting 90 minutes under his belt with the under-21 side, rather than start from the bench for the seniors.

The 18-year-old’s performance against Norway, with Allardyce and his assistant Sammy Lee watching from the stands, showed that he has already outgrown under-21 football, and staked his case to start for both United and England in the near future.

Rashford scored twice on his debut for the Red Devils back in February and also netted oh his debut for England against Australia in a pre-Euro 2016 warm-up friendly in May, forcing his way into Roy Hodgson’s squad for the tournament in France.

Rashford will now be hoping that his hat-trick will have convinced United boss José Mourinho to start him in the Manchester derby at the weekend. The teenager scored the winning goal away to Manchester City last season, and will be hoping to do the same at Old Trafford.