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Thierry Henry has shared his thoughts on Marcus Rashford following England’s defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals.

With England manager Thomas Tuchel opting to start Anthony Gordon, Rashford saw very limited game time during the World Cup knockout rounds.

Tuchel began the semi-final against Argentina with Gordon in the starting XI, and the winger opened the scoring in the 55th minute after converting a fine cross from Morgan Rogers.

However, Gordon struggled to maintain his influence and was substituted in the 72nd minute as Tuchel switched to a more defensive setup to protect the lead. The strategy ultimately failed as Argentina overturned the deficit.

Late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez turned the match on its head, and Rashford was only introduced deep into stoppage time.

Rashford is likely to be disappointed with the limited role he played, but Henry revealed that the Manchester United forward had been set to come on moments before Gordon’s goal.

“When you’re on the bench as a coach, things can change very quickly,” Henry told FOX Sports.

“We need to look at what happened because Marcus Rashford was about to come on just before Anthony Gordon scored.

“After Gordon’s goal, they moved into a back-five formation, which felt too early. Then Reece James went off and Nico O’Reilly came on, but he was positioned out wide.

“Boom – Argentina score, and suddenly the formation becomes a problem. They score again, and now you’re chasing the game trying to bring on attacking players.”

Henry also stated that while Tuchel’s defensive intentions were understandable, the timing was problematic.

“It’s not easy, but I’ll say it again – they went into a back-five too soon. It’s tough when you’re on the touchline, but going defensive that early doesn’t work against Argentina,” Henry explained.

“So, Thomas Tuchel’s approach wasn’t wrong. The issue was that they did it too early. For me, England switched to a back-five too quickly and handed Argentina too much of the ball.

“I’m not saying they thought the game was over – that’s not true. But they tried to protect the lead a bit too soon.

“Once that happened, Argentina started pushing forward and sending attackers into the box.”

Henry also highlighted Lionel Scaloni’s tactical move, pointing out a key adjustment involving Lionel Messi.

“One thing that Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni did – just like in their matches against Switzerland and Egypt – was to move Lionel Messi to the right, away from the congested middle areas,” Henry said.

“You could talk tactics with a hundred coaches, but in the end, it’s about making decisions on the pitch. I analysed the match and made my call – that’s part of the job.

“Looking back, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very close. We deserved to be ahead 1-0.

“It was one of our better performances – maybe our best given the circumstances. The team performed brilliantly, we just couldn’t finish the job but there are no regrets.”

“By placing Messi on the right, they got him isolated one-on-one, allowing him to cut inside onto his left foot or go wide to deliver a cross. In fact, he crossed with his right that time.

“That’s why Argentina are world champions – they make those tactical decisions count.”