England manager Thomas Tuchel has said there are "no limits" to Marcus Rashford's potential, but warned the Barcelona forward not to end his career thinking "what could have been". Rashford is on a season-long loan at the Spanish champions from Manchester United and has scored three goals and added five assists in 10 games. The 27-year-old impressed during a loan spell at Aston Villa last season and was called up to Tuchel's first squad seven months ago despite not playing for England since March 2024.

"It's not a question of talent, it's a question of whether he can prove the point at club and international level," said Tuchel during a news conference on Monday. England face Latvia in Riga on Tuesday knowing victory will guarantee qualification for next summer's World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States. Rashford, who scored two goals in the Champions League for Barca against Newcastle United, has fallen out of favour at Manchester United and is looking to get his career back on track away from his boyhood club. In January, manager Ruben Amorim criticised Rashford for not showing the attitude of someone "giving the maximum every day".

Tuchel pointed out that Rashford is still young enough to make the right decisions in his career "because otherwise, he will be disappointed in 10 years at what could have been and what he made of it". Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has been pleased with Rashford's efforts so far though, calling him "unbelievable". The La Liga club has the option of signing him on a permanent basis for £30m in 2026. "I think the limit for him is very, very high. Maybe higher than for others," said Tuchel. "He has the potential - but potential is a dangerous word with high-level sports.

"You have to reach your personal best on a regular basis - that is what is demanded on this kind of level, and that is the challenge for him. "He can be one of the best in the world because the quality I see in training, the finishing with both legs and with the head. "He is explosive, he is fast, he is strong in the air, so where are the limits? "There are no limits - but the numbers don't reach the potential, it is as easy as that."

Tuchel's England side have come in for criticism since he took over as head coach from Gareth Southgate on 1 January. In June, England were jeered after a laboured first-half display in the 1-0 win against Andorra, ranked 173rd in the world. The frustrating away performance was then followed by a bruising 3-1 friendly defeat by Senegal at Wembley Stadium three days later.

Despite this, England remain unbeaten in their World Cup qualifying campaign, and a 5-0 thumping of Serbia in Belgrade last month, plus an emphatic 3-0 win against Wales last week, showed glimpses of what the future might look like under the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager. "It's a pleasure to coach, a pleasure to watch at the moment. The effort against the ball against Wales was outstanding, especially the first half - they couldn't escape their own half," Tuchel said. "We are setting the standards and the team are setting the standards. They are hungry - they show their hunger.

"So we are getting there. There is always room for improvement, but it looks good at the moment."