Marcus Rashford’s Barcelona adventure looked to be on the cusp of becoming permanent, but they might be having second thoughts after his latest outing.
FC Barcelona faced Athletic Club in a tricky game to keep their lead at the top of the league standings, as just four points separate them from Real Madrid.
Marcus Rashford started ahead of Raphinha in what was a huge opportunity for him.
Barcelona won 1-0 to keep up their title charge, but Rashford would like to forget this game and move on, and hope Barcelona do the same about their opinion of him.
Andoni Gorosabel of Athletic Club Bilbao, Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Athletic de Bilbao v FC Barcelona at the San Mames Stadium on March 7, 2026
Photo by Cesar Ortiz/Soccrates/Getty Images
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Marcus Rashford struggles against Athletic
Rashford started on his preferred left wing against Athletic, but Hansi Flick gave him a different role.
He was tasked with stretching the pitch by staying high and wide instead of coming inside to get on the ball and potentially take shots.
It led to an anonymous outing for Rashford as he was easily foiled, getting subbed off after 62 minutes with just 35 touches of the ball.
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He created two chances and shot once, but with just three recoveries and no other defensive action, he probably flattered to deceive Flick, who values defensive effort above everything else.
Yamal scored the winning goal less than five minutes after Rashford came off, which was a coincidence, but the team looked much better in general.
It led to the Spanish press hammering Rashford after the game, using words like “sterile”, “stagnant”, “frustrating”, and even going as far as to urge Barcelona to rethink buying him permanently.
Spanish press hammers Rashford
The general wisdom is that Barcelona will get a bargain for €30m, considering Rashford’s form this season.
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However, even at Old Trafford, Rashford had a reputation for being a hit-or-miss type of player, who would go through hot streaks and cold spells that were equally extreme.
This game against Athletic continued a recent cold spell for him, and the Spanish press weren’t forgiving this time.
Mundo Deportivo called him “stagnant”, saying that he failed to capitalise on his starting opportunity, offering “nothing” during the game.
SPORT called his performance “sterile”, giving him a brutal “lazy” moniker, saying that the opportunity passed him by without sorrow or glory.
AS simply called him “poor”, adding that Rashford showed so many weaknesses that Barcelona will be re-thinking whether even €30m for him is worth it.
Marca were more of the same, writing that goalkeeper Joan Garcia saved Barcelona from what was otherwise an anaemic attacking performance, of which Rashford was a part.
Rashford will return to familiar hunting grounds up next as Barcelona travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle in the Champions League on March 10.
He’s likely to be on the bench for that one after a disappointing outing against Athletic, but will back himself to make an impact off the bench.
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