Marcus Rashford's spark can lift England out of torpor

Marcus Rashford made a difference after coming on in Malta. Picture: Getty.

Southgate got away with it to a degree in Malta with the late goal spree that put a gloss on the scoreline, but not before the cognoscenti flooded social media with their disapproval of the team and him. A win against Slovakia at Wembley tonight all but guarantees qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Russia.

But in a lightweight group that was never going to be enough, especially as qualification is a process which has become routine for England in recent years.

In an epoch in which sport has migrated into the entertainment space, the audience has a zero tolerance of dross. Southgate, pictured, gets it, he is an articulate bloke, and perceptive. He knows England are fighting not only to win matches but to gain the interest of a younger generation that does not feel the same attachment to the national team as the grey supporter.

The circumstances demand a silver bullet, a player capable of raising the pulse rate, of engaging the crowd, of justifying their attention. The nearest he has is Marcus Rashford, who must start tonight. It took Southgate 45 minutes to introduce the Manchester United tyro against Malta for Raheem Sterling. It was a mercy not only for the crowd but the player himself. Sterling, still only 22, is not without talent but, to borrow a golfing term, he has appalling course management, choosing the wrong option with dopey  regularity.

On paper you can see the attraction. Southgate wanted quick feet, pace and movement, the ability to change the direction of play, to wrong-foot an opponent in the last third. He was entitled to expect that of Sterling but instead got dead end after dead end.

Rashford came on and changed the complexion of the match. He is an instinctive footballer, who has that most important quality, he plays without fear. This allows him to think big and to go for it.

It does not always come  off, but that won’t stop him trying and when it does he is spectacular.

His most obvious weakness is a lack of composure in front of goal. Too often he snatches at chances. But he is improving rapidly and is not yet 20 years old.

Tonight is a test of Southgate as a coach. How to crack the organised defence. The criticism levelled at England when they hit a brick wall is often technical, pointing to a deficit in this area compared with the top sides.

Yet the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane are adept at this very thing when confronted with packed defences in the Premier League. Granted, they have Christian Eriksen pulling the strings but it is absurd to suggest England do not have technical acumen.

That they do not demonstrate it enough in the international setting is a conundrum and cracking it is Southgate’s biggest challenge. Nothing breeds confidence like confidence. Rashford has it in spades, which is why he must play.

Southgate also needs a playmaker in the middle of the park. Jordan Henderson, Eric Dier and Jake Livermore is one workhorse too many when the team is crying out for creativity. So, if there is a nascent Paul Gascoigne out there, your country needs you.