Marcus Rashford's latest display in Barcelona colours drew criticism in the Spanish press as his lull in form continued at Athletic Club
Barcelona's Marcus Rashford walks on the pitch during the Spanish La Liga soccer match against Athletic Bilbao
Marcus Rashford had a disappointing game for Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao(Image: AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
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Barcelona kept their advantage at the top of La Liga with a gritty 1-0 win at Athletic Club, but Marcus Rashford wasn't credited with a starring role. In fact, the Manchester United loanee was widely considered a relative non-factor in Saturday's success.
Rashford made his first league start in a month and played the first hour of the game before being withdrawn for Raphinha. Lamine Yamal was once again the hero for Barcelona as they maintained a four-point lead over Real Madrid.
Spanish media outlets were all on the same page in chastising the 28-year-old for a forgettable performance. However, there's still time for Rashford to help the cause if he can rediscover his form from earlier in the season.
Here's a look at how the Spanish press have reacted to his latest performance in a Barcelona shirt...
AS
Madrid-based outlet AS gave the grizzliest recap of Rashford's contribution and labelled his performance "disastrous." The report also referenced the Englishman's flagging form in this latter half of the season to make for a fairly dire review.
"Barca played at a snail's pace against a very weak Athletic side that barely faced any problems in their own area," read one passage. It went on describe Lamine Yamal as "virtually invisible, Olmo ineffective, and Rashford maintaining his mediocre form of recent weeks."
And in a further blow, AS added that Rashford missed his chance to 'prove his worth' as the Catalan outfit weigh up whether to sign him permanently in the summer. The report added: "The situation with these two players [Rashford and Olmo] is quite worrying, because they supposedly had an opportunity at San Mames to prove their worth.
Barcelona's Marcus Rashford, right, and Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte go for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona in Bilbao
Rashford struggled to have a significant impact in his hour-long outing at San Mames(Image: AP)
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"In other words, to show they're not useless to the project and that they can contribute something."
Mundo Deportivo
Rashford is still in the process of trying to convince Barca he's worth the £26million investment needed to turn his loan permanent. However, a tired run of form in recent weeks isn't the kind of return needed to stake his claim.
Mundo Deportivo was also scathing in its review and summarised Rashford's display as "stagnant." And after five games without a goal or assist, it's possible fatigue is beginning to play its part.
"After five games without starting, two due to injury, the Englishman failed to capitalise on his starting role," wrote the Catalan outlet. "He was present but offered nothing, neither play on the wing nor accurate crosses nor clear chances. He had a few opportunities, but not enough to meet expectations."
Sport was also frosty in its own review and gave the Englishman a limp five out of 10 rating. His performance was dubbed "sterile" despite showing some promise in his link-up play with fellow loanee Joao Cancelo.
"The Briton was quite lacklustre, never once getting past his marker, losing possession frequently, and looking uncomfortable," read the recap. "A missed opportunity in a match where he was completely unremarkable."
As fate would have it, his next opportunity to do so will come back on home shores this week. Barcelona visit Newcastle in the Champions League's last 16 on Tuesday as Rashford looks to play a starring role in familiar territory.
In its player ratings, Marca wrote: "The Englishman had been a substitute in the last two matches and returned to the starting eleven at San Mamés. He wasn't sharp in the opening stages, even sending a cross well over the bar. A very discreet first half for the Englishman."
Giving Rashford a rating of five out of 10 for his performance, the outlet added of his second half efforts: "He started this half with a powerful shot that forced a good save from Unai Simón. Little else. He left the pitch in the 62nd minute."