ENGLAND 0-0 GHANA: Anthony Gordon got the nod on the left flank ahead of Marcus Rashford but failed to make his mark for the second consecutive match at the World Cup23:13, 23 Jun 2026Updated 23:30, 23 Jun 2026Anthony Gordon arrived at this World Cup with a major spring in his step.‌But so far, he's looked a shadow of the £69.3million wing whippet snapped up by Spanish giants Barcelona - against respectably, fairly ordinary opposition, too.‌Given Thomas Tuchel tweaked the England starting XI that eventually took Croatia to the cleaners in Texas, Gordon could count himself fortunate that he was not one of two casualties.‌This, however, was a chance to make amends for his quiet and tepid showing last Wednesday and sadly, he fell short.Outside of England's final heartbreak against Spain in Berlin, Gordon's Euro 2024 was best remembered because he only played just four minutes all tournament and fell off his bike and grazed his chin. Now he should be using those bad memories as fuel to drive him on.Tuchel's thunderous half-time team-talk in Dallas, which evidently struck a chord, was centred around freeing England from their shackles.‌The German is said to have told his players: "What is the worst that can happen?" as he demanded more intensity, energy and belief.The way his players responded was emphatic, which is why it was so surprising to see Gordon - though he wasn't the only one - play this game against Ghana with such a clear lack of tempo.Gordon's qualities, his blistering speed, directness and ability to get to the byline and pull the ball back for fellow forwards, are to die for.‌In sodden Orlando for the Three Lions' final World Cup warm-up fixture against Costa Rica, things finally looked to be clicking into place for the 25-year-old.He delivered an intelligent assist for Declan Rice before blasting home from the penalty spot in convincing fashion.On the basis of that red-hot display, nobody could dispute his inclusion in Tuchel's best line-up but now we could well be about to witness a changing of the guard with Marcus Rashford chomping at the bit for a starting berth.‌Ironically, at club level, Rashford has actually been left in limbo by his international team-mate's life-changing switch to Catalonia.Barcelona were content with letting their £26m buy-option expire, even though the Manchester United attacker mustered 28 goal involvements (14 goals and 14 assists) across all competitions.‌It bodes well for England because Rashford looks hungrier than ever, determined to prove a point and he just loves the World Cup stage having netted three times in Qatar and from the bench against Croatia.Much of the pre-tournament debate had been shaped by who would feature from the left and Gordon just hasn't grabbed the bull by the horns.One of his best attributes, which Tuchel greatly appreciates, is that he tracks back and helps out his full-back with the ugly side of the game.‌Yet just after half-time, he was sleeping and allowed Ghana's Marvin Senaya to ghost in on goal from the flank.His shaky personal performance doesn't mean he no longer has a key role to play, because he does, but maybe it's time to utilise the Liverpool-born starlet as one of Tuchel's 'finishers'.Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!Article continues belowJoin our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.