Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford once again started for Barcelona as they moved four points clear at the top of La Liga with a dominant victory against Mallorca
Marcus Rashford during Barcelona's 3-0 win over RCD Mallorca
Marcus Rashford during Barcelona's 3-0 win over RCD Mallorca(Image: (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images))
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Marcus Rashford handed Barcelona a scare during their win over Mallorca on Saturday night. The Catalan giants extended their lead at the top of LaLiga to four points with a 3-0 win over Jagoba Arrasate’s side at the Nou Camp.
Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark after a Rashford effort was blocked. Lamine Yamal then doubled his side’s lead just after the hour before fellow teenager Marc Bernal completed the scoring when he scored his first senior goal seven minutes from time.
However, just before the half-time interval, Rashford handed his side a scare when he went down holding his knee. A number of Barca players, along with head coach Hansi Flick, all looked visibly concerned as the England international received medical treatment.
The forward, though, managed to play on before he was replaced by Ferran Torres after 67 minutes. The win for Barca came at the end of a week in which Sport claimed club chiefs have reached a 'unanimous' decision to sign the Rashford on a permanent deal once his current loan ends this summer.
Manchester United included a €30million (£26million) buy option in the forward’s loan agreement, and now it is now being claimed that Barca are willing to pay that price this summer.
It was also claimed in the report that to ensure the deal fits within Barcelona's strict financial fair play and salary cap constraints, Rashford has agreed to a significant reduction in his wages. The forward has long made it clear that he wishes to remain at the Nou Camp.
"Oh yeah, for sure," Rashford told ESPN back in October when asked if he wanted to stay at Barcelona.
"I'm enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player, it is an honour."
Speaking after his side's 3-0 victory on Saturday night, Barca head coach Flick said: "I’m not happy with the first half. In the first half we played too slowly and not with the right dynamism.
Hansi Flick during Barcelona's win over RCD Mallorca
Hansi Flick during Barcelona's win over RCD Mallorca(Image: ( Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images))
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"I wasn’t happy. In the second half it was much better and in the end we have three more points, three goals for and none against. Overall it has been a positive day,” he told reporters.
“I asked them if they were satisfied with the first part and they said no. It was a very clear answer. We showed them where they needed to improve: positioning and passing speed.
"It’s not how we want to play, but we have a lot of games and sometimes it happens. I hope that on Thursday against Atlético we will see another team from the first minute”