Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan. They will pay his full wages and have the option to make the move permanent next summer.placeholder image
Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan. They will pay his full wages and have the option to make the move permanent next summer. | Getty Images
Marcus Rashford sealed his dream move to Barcelona but have things turned sour already?
The fall-out between Marcus Rashford and Manchester United is one that nobody saw coming when he was the darling of the club and the player who a successful team should have been built around.
A dream move to Barcelona this summer seemed unlikely only for the Catalan giants to miss out on top target Luis Diaz and make their move for the former Old Trafford favourite.
What the temporary exit does is provide time and distance between the two parties with the hope that there can be some sort of reconciliation in the future. There is still a good player there as seen by early flashes of his peak years since heading to the Nou Camp. It is easy to forget that Rashford wanted to spend his whole career at Old Trafford.
Is Marcus Rashford set to have Man Utd loan deal cut short?
What hasn’t been appreciated by the 27-year old are the reports that the La Liga champions are already considering cancelling the deal and sending the England winger back to Manchester. A story that has already been put to bed by Spanish football expert and journalist Guillem Ballague.
He said on X: “Absolutely rubbish that Barcelona is planning to end up early Marcus Rashford loan deal. Barça told his representative that they have a lot of confidence in Rashford’s potential and that they believe he will recover as a top player. No more to say, apart from the fact I agree with Gary Lineker and his treatment by some media.”
The Catalans have a £26m option to buy Rashford and for all that he will need to start playing better than he has been, he has only played 96 minutes so far. Too early to write off any signing, never mind someone with a decent pedigree and who is still at their physical peak.
It is a double-edged sword joining a successful team in that Rashford faces a difficult job to dislodge the players who lit up La Liga and the Champions League last season.
What did Gary Lineker say about Rashford criticism?
Rashford ended last season with 20 goal contributions in 41 appearances, nowhere near his best, but considering he played less than 2,500 minutes, it shows that he is still capable of being a difference-maker.
The move to La Liga is one that makes a lot of sense for a player who seems to have every move scrutinised, something that Gary Lineker, discussing with Rashford on The Rest is Football podcast, claims won’t be a problem in Spain: “You'll notice it's different here (in Spain). In terms of football, they will be incredibly critical if you're not performing on the pitch. They won't bother about your life off the pitch. They will respect your life off the pitch. I'm talking particularly in terms of the media.”
The competition isn’t exactly stiff, however, Jack Grealish’s start at Everton suggests that he could be a contender if he maintains his early season form. Anthony Gordon has the work rate and pace, but out of the three of them it is Rashford who has the most experience and ability to add numbers and be a matchwinner – doing it for Barcelona has to be his immediate priority though.
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