Rashford and Mainoo’s World Cup squad numbers revealed

As is often the case with England squad announcements, Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup raised plenty of eyebrows and kickstarted huge chatter online, discussing the players unfortunate to miss out and those who should consider themselves lucky to be on the plane. Manchester United have just two players included in the squad, although many United fans believe that number should have been considerably higher.

Visit moryak.biz for more information.

Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire both enjoyed stellar campaigns at Old Trafford, with Shaw being the only United player to start every game and Maguire elevating his game to another level entirely since Michael Carrickreturned to the dugout. The towering centre-half and his family reacted poorly to his omission, releasing a series of statements and comments on social media that felt a little unbecoming.

Star central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford, who spent the season on loan at Barcelona, are the only Red Devils headed to the United States hoping to bring the World Cup home. Now, with their official squad numbers revealed, we have more understanding as to how involved they will each be in that journey.

Rashford’s experience

Rashford is undoubtedly the more experienced of the pair when it comes to representing England at major tournaments. He first appeared in a major tournament for the Three Lions at the 2016 UEFA European Championships, where he was the youngest player involved. The upcoming World Cup will be the third in which the Mancunian has been involved, and he will surely be hoping to add to his three World Cup goals.

Despite an up-and-down season on loan at La Liga champions Barcelona, Rashford has regularly been included in Tuchel’s squads and often finds himself in the starting eleven. It is thought the starting left-winger for England in the upcoming tournament will be a straight shot between Rashford and Barcelona’s new signing Anthony Gordon.

Mainoo’s experience

Though Mainoo’s experience at international football is limited compared to his former teammates, the United academy graduate made a huge impact at the 2024 UEFA European Championship, the only previous major tournament squad in which he was included.

Despite not starting any of England’s group games, the talented central midfielder forced his way into Gareth Southgate’s starting eleven and played a key role in England’s journey to the final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Spain. Mainoo appeared unlikely to make the squad before Carrick returned to United in January and restored the Mancunian to the starting eleven. Since then, the England international has returned to his best and Tuchel had no choice but to include him in the squad.

Mainoo’s shirt number

Sky Sports have officially revealed that Mainoo will take after his manager and wear the number 16 shirt in the upcoming World Cup. This perhaps indicates that the wonderkid will once again have to fight his way into England’s starting eleven. However, with the climate set to force Tuchel into a lot of rotations throughout the tournament, Mainoo can still expect to pick up plenty of minutes throughout the summer.

The number 16 is also a clear indication that Mainoo’s international career is on an upward trajectory, given that he wore the number 26 squad number in the 2024 UEFA European Championships. Hopefully, by the time the next tournament rolls around, he will have established himself as England’s number eight.

Rashford’s shirt number

Rashford, on the other hand, retains the number eleven shirt that he wore at the 2021 Euros and the 2022 World Cup. This will surely be a welcome boost to the player, who did not make the squad for the 2024 Euros, providing assurances that he will likely begin the tournament as Tuchel’s first-choice left winger.

The pacey winger will be hoping to deliver a series of standout performances and showcase everything he has to offer during the World Cup in order to entice Barcelona into signing him permanently. Surely getting his hands on the World Cup trophy would be enough to do just that.

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Read full story at source

A loaded field heads to Jack’s Place for the 2026 Memorial Tournament, a prestigious landmark of the regular season, and one of the most demanding tests of complete golf on the PGA Tour. Muirfield Village once again plays host, often described as a traditional Nicklaus second-shot course design, but that undersells the full exam required to succeed.

Visit sportbet.reviews for more information.

RELATED: Jack Nicklaus, like most in golf, is anxious to see what the revamped PGA Tour will look like. Here’s his worry

Beyond the comforts of milkshakes and handshakes, Muirfield Village is a major-championship worthy layout that will test the skill and patience of the 72 players invited to compete. Penal rough, sharp angles and lightning-quick bentgrass greens will provide a proper test as the best in the sport look to sharpen their skills just two weeks ahead of the U.S. Open.

The storylines start with Scottie Scheffler, seeking his third consecutive win on a golf course where he dominates. It’s been a five-month winless drought for Scheffler, and a stacked field in Dublin, Ohio is more than equipped to challenge this week. Here are the players that you should be targeting to meet Mr. Nicklaus behind the 18th-green.

The top-10 contenders to win the the 2026 Memorial Tournament are as follows:

10. Si Woo Kim

Mike Mulholland

An intriguing fit because of his sustained ball-striking profile, Si Woo Kim has played consistently well at Muirfield Village over his career. It starts with reliability on approach from the targeted 150-225 yard range, where Kim ranks as the second-best player in the field over the past 30 rounds.

An interesting trend has emerged in recent years at Muirfield Village, where driving accuracy has become more important post-renovation. It’s yet another data point that sticks to Si Woo Kim, who’s also coming off a solo-second place finish at the CJ Cup. The combination of elite iron play and scoring bursts give him a real path to contention.

9. Patrick Cantlay

The resume at Jack’s Place speaks for itself. Patrick Cantlay has won this tournament twice, showcasing his trademark tenacity and clutchness at Muirfield Village. The tricky, bentgrass greens are a comfortable place for Cantlay, and his trending numbers on approach make him worthy of consideration to capture a third win.

He’s working off six consecutive starts gaining strokes from tee-to-green, his best in over a year. This tournament couldn’t have come at a better time, and if this week becomes a difficult grind, Cantlay’s name becomes an even more attractive pick.

8. Justin Thomas

Icon Sportswire

Now fully rebounded after an offseason injury created a slow start, Justin Thomas is a name firmly on my radar at Memorial. He’s finished comfortably inside the top-15 in his past three tournaments, and the second-shot nature of this course layout should align perfectly with his strengths.

The big reason for my optimism is Thomas has appeared to make measurable improvements with the driver. Muirfield Village imposes one of the harshest penalties for missed fairways, so Thomas’ ability to play from the fairway is going to make all the difference. He’s peaking at the right time and never backs down from the moment.

7. Russell Henley

After a late Sunday barrage of birdies that ultimately culminated in his sixth PGA Tour win last week at Colonial, Henley spoke candidly in his post-round presser, alluding to the reality that many courses on tour don’t reward the things he is good at. Muirfield Village should suit him well as the most accurate player off the tee in the field.

The question for Henley will be centered around his ability to score on the par 5s alongside the longer players. A T-5 finish at the 2025 Memorial suggests that he can. Coming off a performance where he gained eight strokes on approach, confidence in the Henley camp might be at all-time high.

6. Xander Schauffele

Ben Jared

Looking back through my year-over-year notes, I’ve always been drawn to Xander Schauffele at the Memorial. His hallmark consistency and well-balanced profile becomes emphasized in tournaments that require a complete game. Early forecasts set up for a firm and challenging Muirfield Village, and Schauffele is rarely overmatched on a difficult setup.

While consistently on page one of the leader board, I have some reluctance backing Schauffele because it feels like it’s been a long time since he felt the true Sunday pressure of winning. That said, he plays smart golf, often prioritizing bogey avoidance and patience. A strong baseline of course history could help push him forward to reestablish himself as one of the best in the world.

5. Rory McIlroy

There are few destinations left on the PGA Tour schedule that remain unconquered by Rory McIlroy, and strangely, Muirfield Village remains one of them. He was candid in his critique of the recent renovation, and his recent struggles with driving accuracy could make this an uphill battle.

We all know the ceiling performance for McIlroy is unmatched, and his prodigious power will unlock scoring potential on the four par 5s. He’s never shied away from a challenge, and I’m certainly not dismissing his chances. He narrowly made my top five.

4. Ludvig Aberg

Icon Sportswire

The ultra-talented Swede has found himself on a bit of a hotseat, victimized by his own early success and media expectations. Elements of fairness on the criticisms exist, but it all stems from how well he’s been playing. Ludvig Aberg has gained an average of +8.5 strokes on the field in his last eight starts, an outrageous accomplishment by any standards.

Six of those tournaments have ended with Aberg inside the top-eight on the leader board. He’s right there, on the precipice of victory, and he arrives this week at a golf course tailor-fit to his strengths. The Memorial has long been recognized as a launchpad for young superstars, and Ludvig has been cleared for takeoff.

3. Matt Fitzpatrick

He enters this week as one of the hottest players on the planet, with three wins already at the halfway point of the 2026 season. That kind of form matters, as Muirfield Village is not the kind of course where you show up and suddenly “find it.” His total driving statistics in 2026 has shown remarkable improvement, but the iron play has always been the catalyst for Fitz.

He finished fifth at this event two years ago despite losing strokes on approach, and an encouraging marker given his current form. I trust him around the greens if scrambling becomes a requirement, but more than anything, it’s his knack for execution in the final rounds that makes him a serious contender to win.

2. Cameron Young

Carl Recine

The meteoric rise to the upper echelon of contenders continues for Cameron Young, and he makes plenty of sense this week at Muirfield Village. He possesses the length and precision that provides scoring upside, creating a rare path for separation on this tightly packed field of quality players.

It’s worth noting that he’s never played his best here, and a less-than-stellar result at the PGA Championship may temper expectations for some. I believe in the upside, and I believe he possesses the mental fortitude to maintain control over 72 holes in difficult conditions. Cameron Young has proven he belongs and other players should fear that there could be another level that he’s yet to fully unlock.

1. Scottie Scheffler

Until somebody steps up and proves otherwise, Scottie Scheffler is a clear No. 1 at Muirfield Village. He’s on a mission for the rare PGA Tour three-peat after boatracing the field by four shots in the 2025 edition of the Memorial at his peak powers. He remains the best in the world at stacking his advantages, and this course brings out the best in Scheffler.

Dating back to his last four starts at Muirfield Village, he has no finish worse than third, lapping the competition in total scoring over that span. He appears to have fixed the “issue” earlier this season with his iron play. I do have concerns over some of the outward bursts of frustration that we have seen in recent weeks, and Muirfield has notoriously brought those to the surface, but the totality of sheer dominance at the courses deserves nothing short of the No. 1 spot in any rankings.

RELATED: U.S. Open picks 2026: The 13 best bets to win at Shinnecock Hills

Joe Idone is a Read The Line contributor and host of the Preferred Lines podcast.

Read full story at source