Marcus Rashford on verge of breaking unusual England record

England star Marcus Rashford could match a strange record if he is to come off the bench in both of the team’s upcoming friendlies.

The 26-year-old has currently come off the bench 33 times for his country, sitting just two behind former striker Jermain Defoe’s record of 35 substitute appearances for England.

Gareth Southgate’s squad are set to host Brazil at Wembley on Friday evening, before facing Belgium at home on Tuesday.

If Rashford is to start on the bench and then later feature in both games, he will match Defoe’s record of the most substitute appearances for England.

Current England midfielder Jordan Henderson has made 26 appearances off the bench in 81 games, sitting him in the top 10 of this list. The rest of the list includes the likes of Emile Heskey, Phil Neville, Kieron Dyer, Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole, James Milner and Peter Crouch.

England are not short of options up front, with Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins now fighting for their spots and James Maddison, Cole Palmer, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon and Phil Foden all rivalling Rashford for minutes out wide.

While he may not match Defoe’s record during this international break, it seems like just a matter of time before Rashford can claim this unusual England record.

Rashford made his England debut as a teenager in 2016 and has since proven to be a key player in the national setup. He has bagged 17 goals during his time for England, including two at the 2022 World Cup.