England coach Tuchel attended the pre-match press conference against Latvia, talked about Rashford's potential and performance, the injuries of Kane and Watkins, and conveyed a message to the players who were not selected for the national team.
How do you evaluate Rashford?
I think Rashford can become one of the best players in the world, but his "stats don't match his potential". (Rashford only scored 1 goal in the 5 England games coached by Tuchel, and scored 18 goals in 65 appearances for the national team)
Where do you think his upper limit is? Where does he need to improve?
The ability he showed in training, including his shooting ability with both feet and with his head, made me see his potential. He is explosive, fast and has a strong heading ability, so where is his limit? The sky's the limit, but his numbers aren't up to his potential. He needs to be more involved in the goals, scoring goals and assists, it's that simple.
For him, (stability) is the key word. To keep pushing yourself to your limits. I think his limit is very, very high, maybe higher than other people's. He has potential, but potential is a dangerous word in high-level sports.
You must reach your personal best level on a regular basis. This is required at this level and is also the challenge he faces.
It's not about talent, it's about whether he can prove it at club and national team level. That's his job, whether he starts for us or comes on as a substitute, he has to keep proving himself.
Do you think Rashford's career is still on track?
He still needs to make these decisions. He's at that point where he's young enough to make good decisions and not let things slide.
Because otherwise, ten years later he will be disappointed with the heights he could have reached and his ultimate achievements.
What is the team's injury situation? Can Kane and Watkins play?
We did the right thing (referring to not playing Kane against Wales). He has been training and is ready. I don't see any reason why he couldn't play the full 90 minutes, that break was just a short one for him. He's been in all the previous races and I don't see any obstacles.
However, Watkins is unavailable and has returned to Villa to recover from a knee injury caused by hitting a post against Wales.
We left him in (UK). Unfortunately, his injury is too painful to train with us, so he is receiving treatment at his club - and he is trying to be ready for the weekend.
What would you like to say to the players who were not selected for this roster?
The door is always open. We will always encounter difficulties when selecting players and nominating the roster. This is the nature of nominations.
For a football country like England, where we have a lot of talented players, we have to make a choice. Therefore, players selected for training camp should first feel honored, and then feel the hunger and competitive pressure to keep their position. And those players who are not with us should feel the hunger to join us when the next opportunity comes. This is always achieved through behavior and performance, and the door is always open.