Marcus Rashford’s spell at Barcelona took a turn for the worse in their recent game despite the team winning, as the Spanish press laid into him.
The loan spell at Barcelona has generally gone well for Marcus Rashford, as he has used the starting opportunities to full effect.
Recently, players have started coming back from injury, which has seen Rashford get demoted to the bench, so he needs to impress in whatever minutes he gets.
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To his credit, that’s exactly the mentality he approached recent games with, resulting in Hansi Flick awarding him with a start in Barcelona’s latest game, which he seems to have fluffed.
Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona competes for the ball with Leandro Cabrera of RCD Espanyol de Barcelona during the LaLiga EA Sports match between RCD Espanyol de Barcelona and FC Barcelona at RCDE Stadium on January 03, 2026
Photo by Pablo Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
Marcus Rashford fails to take golden opportunity
Flick showed immense trust in Rashford by starting him in Barcelona’s Catalunya derby fixture against Espanyol in his preferred left-wing position.
The likes of Dani Olmo, Fermin, and Robert Lewandowski were left on the bench to accommodate Rashford, so this was a golden opportunity for him in a marquee game.
However, 45 minutes later, he was subbed off at half-time for Fermin Lopez, who went on to assist both of Barcelona’s goals in a 2-0 victory for the visitors.
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Rashford did create one chance, but that was the peak of his game, because he failed to complete any dribble, any long ball, and his defensive contribution was minimal.
Winning just one out of his six duels, this was a performance straight out of his late Man Utd days, where he would often look like a passenger on the pitch.
Needless to say, the Spanish press, which has been open in its praise for the United loanee, did not take kindly to this display against their bitter rivals.
Spanish press’ brutal verdict on Rashford vs Espanyol
The Spanish press have regularly given special coverage to Rashford because they know his United links receive plenty of attention.
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The coverage has been positive more often than not, which is well deserved, since Rashford has been on it in most games.
However, the Espanyol derby is right up alongside El Clasico in terms of bitterness for Barcelona, so a poor performance in this game was always going to invite some stern criticism.
Mundo Deportivo led the way, calling Rashford “not focused” and “offline”, adding that there were “inaccuracies and errors even in clearances”.
Another report by them called it a “disappointing first-half from Rashford,” which forced Flick to make a proactive substitution.
Marca questioned the decision to start Rashford entirely, running a headline that read, “It hurts to see Fermin on the bench,” raving about Rashford’s replacement, who changed the game after replacing him at half-time.
AS delivered a brutally honest verdict, calling Rashford a “constant source of turnovers” who was just “playing along,” not really doing anything positive of note.
SPORT simply declared that it “wasn’t his day,” as he was “little successful with or without the ball.”
TUDN noted Barcelona “struggled to get past a goalless draw,” until Fermin Lopez’s introduction in place of Rashford changed the dynamic of the game.
Rashford might have to fight his way back into the starting XI after this fixture, because their next game is in Supercopa de Espana against Athletic, where Flick will reward outstanding players from this game.
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