The standout detail from Watkins’ remarks was not just that Rashford looked sharp, but that he was catching the eye in the smallest drills as well as the bigger sessions. “Rashy é... até num rondo. Às vezes estou do lado de fora, ele faz alguma coisa do outro lado e me deixa vendido, e eu nem estou no meio. Então eu diria que é ele,” Watkins said.
That is the sort of compliment players do not hand out lightly. It hints at quick feet, looseness and self-belief - all the traits that tend to make Rashford dangerous when he is at his best.
Watkins’ words appear especially relevant because, as the report says, the pair were together during Rashford’s loan spell at Aston Villa. Watkins also recalled one performance in particular, saying: “Ele acabou com eles.”
Even with cautious wording around recent moves, the broader picture is clear enough: Rashford is reportedly coming off a productive period, first at Villa and then during a loan spell with Barcelona. When he is playing free rather than forcing the game, he remains one of England’s most explosive forwards.
The update says England are preparing in Miami before warm-up games against New Zealand and Costa Rica, with a tournament opener against Ghana to follow. That gives Rashford a narrow but important window to turn training-ground praise into match-day trust.
For England, the next question is simple: can camp form become tournament form? If Rashford carries this level into the friendlies, he may push himself from useful option to one of the names nobody wants left out.