Rashford jets to New York for some downtime after injury forced him out

Marcus Rashford made the most of his time away from the England camp this week by jetting to New York for some richly-deserved downtime, as the Three Lions prepare to take on Italy in their first Euro 2024 qualifier on Thursday night.

The in-form Manchester United forward, who has netted 18 goals in 25 matches across all competitions since the World Cup, pulled out of Gareth Southgate's squad through injury on Monday after picking up a knock during his team’s 3-1 win over Fulham in last weekend's FA Cup quarter-final.

Neither United nor the FA confirmed specifics of the injury or the severity of it - but sources insist the problem is genuine and serious enough to prevent his selection.

Rashford took to social media on Thursday to share a picture of him relaxing in New York, sporting sunglasses, a snood and a white bag worth approximately £2,700.

Captioning the photograph 'Downtime', the England international performed the V sign as he gestured to fans in his first Instagram post since dropping out of the Three Lions squad.

He also shared a story from what appeared to be Central Park on Thursday morning.

The 25-year-old's absence comes as a major blow for Southgate, who was expected to line-up with a star-studded front three of Rashford, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka.

The Manchester United hitman returned from Qatar as one of England's best players at the World Cup last year, scoring three goals.

With Three Lions stalwart Raheem Sterling also out due to a hamstring injury, Southgate is likely to choose between Manchester City team-mates Jack Grealish and Phil Foden on the left flank.