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Rashford trains alone at England camp, expected to rejoin group Friday

PAUL ELLIS / AFP / Getty

Marcus Rashford's and England's Twitter account released pictures of the Manchester United forward training alone on Thursday, but he is expected to rejoin the group the following day after shaking off a knee complaint.

The 20-year-old had earlier described the injury as "a slight niggle" when news surfaced of him sitting out the squad's session for the second day in a row, but he is now set to pick up his workload prior to Monday's Group G scuffle with Tunisia.

"Marcus Rashford's return to training only increased the current feel-good factor around the England camp," BBC Sport's Phil McNulty said. There is apparently a relaxed atmosphere in Gareth Southgate's squad, with players able to keep themselves occupied with a 10-pin bowling alley, snooker table, table football, air hockey, and a PlayStation.

Rashford doesn't appear to be a nailed-on starter for England's opener - captain Harry Kane will likely lead the line, while Raheem Sterling and Rashford's club teammate Jesse Lingard have been preferred under Southgate - but his long-distance strike in last week's final warm-up match against Costa Rica did his cause no harm.

He is in Russia after a frustrating term with Manchester United where he started only 17 Premier League matches, scoring seven goals.

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