Marcus Rashford has enjoyed a brilliant loan spell at Barcelona so far since leaving Manchester United in the summer
Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford has excelled at Barcelona
Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford has excelled at Barcelona
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Manchester United will find it difficult not to look on enviously at Barcelona this season considering how well Marcus Rashford has done for them.
The loan spell to Catalonia was the last throw of the dice for Rashford. His bridges were burnt with Ruben Amorim and, for all involved, the best thing to do was to let him leave.
Rashford wanted Barca in January but an approach was not deemed viable by the La Liga giants. Fortunately for the United academy graduate, they returned in the summer and the deal was done.
He joined the Camp Nou club on a season-long loan with the option to purchase him in the summer. If all goes according to plan for United, Rashford will impress, Barca will trigger that option and the winger's time in Spain continues.
Six goals and nine assists in 16 appearances suggests Barca will want to keep Rashford. Whether they have the finances to do it is another issue. Barca can sign the England international for £28m in the summer but the financial pressures Barcelona face are well documented.
No matter how well Rashford does at Barca or for England, he will not have a place to come back to at Old Trafford. Amorim has made his mind up and therefore the task would be to find him a new club.
With that in mind, United know what they can't do. Sell Rashford to a Premier League rival. In Spain, El Nacional has reported that Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have both made early contact with Rashford's agent to try and persuade him to move to the Premier League. United can't let that happen.
If he was to impress in the Premier League, suddenly Rashford becomes a more prominent issue for the United head coach. So ideally United must find a way of making things work with Barca. The alternative of him returning to England with Chelsea or Spurs is not worth thinking about.
United can only hope that if it comes to it, Rashford still does not fancy a move down to London...