Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford is fighting to get his career back on track after joining Barcelona this summer.
Last season, Marcus Rashford was frozen out by Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, with the Portuguese head coach questioning his attitude in training.
A loan move to Aston Villa followed in the second half of the 2024/25 season, but Marcus Rashford returned to Manchester and found himself facing another career crossroads this summer.
Eventually, Rashford completed a ‘dream’ Barcelona move, with the Spanish side signing him on loan with a £26m buy option. It is up to him to impress and encourage the Catalan giants to sign him permanently.
So far, Rashford was criticised on his debut, but his pre-season performances were promising.
Manchester United and England player Marcus Rashford looks on during the La Liga match between Real Mallorca and Barcelona at the Mallorca Son Moix Stadium in 2025 in Mallorca, Spain.
Photo by Rafa Babot/Getty Images
Ian Wright says Marcus Rashford must reach a new level at Barcelona
Earlier this week, Gary Neville fired a warning to Rashford, telling him to focus on his Barcelona career after he made comments towards Manchester United in an interview with Gary Lineker.
Now, Neville’s co-star on The Overlap, Ian Wright, has also warned Rashford that his career is on the line at Barcelona.
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“I was very surprised listening to certain people speak about him. This move – if it doesn’t happen for him now, it’s never going to happen,” Wright said.
“If you can’t realise that in yourself, that you’re at Barcelona, it’s unbelievable.
“If that doesn’t wake you up. Sometimes you watch him and it was like he was sleep walking through games. Then another game, he would be on fire. He has to be on fire for this club.
“I was speaking to Thierry [Henry] about what it’s like playing for Barcelona and what fans expect, and he’s going to have to go to another place. Hopefully he can do that.”
Marcus Rashford has a golden opportunity at Barcelona
It felt inevitable that Rashford would leave United halfway through last season, and frankly, it felt the right decision for both club and player.
Rashford had to be patient for the Barcelona move, and he was lucky that so many factors fell into place at the right time.
Despite struggling in the position at United, it seems Hansi Flick wants Rashford as a striker and he played up front throughout most of their pre-season preparation.
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford is ready to do something at Barcelona that Ruben Amorim made U-turn on at Man Utd, ‘in the end…’
Competing for a starting spot looked like a tough task, but Robert Lewandowski’s injury gave Rashford a golden chance to break into the starting XI.
Now, it is up to the 27-year-old to prove he has what it takes to thrive in Spain. It is in the best interests of United, Rashford and Barcelona that he succeeds this season.