Marcus Rashford has responded to questions about his chance of making a permanent move to Barcelona after suffering ‘humiliation’ early on in his loan stint with the Catalans
On-loan Marcus Rashford isn’t inclined to give much away regarding a potential permanent move to Barcelona. The Manchester United forward has been sent to Catalonia for the upcoming campaign after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim.
Rashford’s temporary move to Barca gives the reigning kings of La Liga a chance to sign the player for £30million. That figure represents a fraction of Rashford’s value just a couple of seasons ago prior to his stock plummeting at Old Trafford.
However, there are still slight doubts regarding Barca’s financial state and whether Rashford will be registered in time for the start of the season. La Liga’s financial fair play laws have seen the club run into issues of late, with Dani Olmo and Pau Victor’s eligibility coming into question last season.
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Spain star Olmo even missed playing time last term while Barcelona sought approval over their salary cap issues. But Rashford gave a laid-back response when asked about any potential pitfalls, having already made a couple of appearances for his new side in pre-season.
“I’m not worried,” he told Catalan newspaper Sport, when asked about his registration concerns. “It’s something the club needs to resolve, and I trust they will. I’m focused on training and being ready for the start of the competition.”
Rashford then made his feelings clear on a permanent exit from United, insisting he just wants to “enjoy the moment” rather than think too far ahead. Rashford, 27, made his Barca debut in a 3-1 friendly win over Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe at the end of July. However, the arrival appeared to go awry as the England international came off the bench, only to be substituted off again after 30 minutes.
The incident was framed as somewhat embarrassing for the player, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa. However, new boss Hansi Flick was quick to dismiss any notions of humiliation, insisting the decision was purely to manage the player’s fitness.
“We’re being very careful with Marcus because he just came from an injury and he hasn’t started training completely with the ball,” said Flick after that match. “He’s a week behind the others. He hasn’t been training as much with the ball, and we want to look after him.”
Rashford impressed on loan under Unai Emery and helped Villa make a deep run in the Champions League. He should be back among Europe’s elite this coming season, though the same can’t be said for parent club United after they missed out on continental qualification altogether.
It’s also evident Rashford is putting his new team’s needs ahead of any individual goals. And he believes his ability to contribute from different parts of the pitch puts him in good stead.
“I can play in different positions and score goals from any of them,” he said. “It’s about creating chances from different areas and taking advantage of them.”
That’s the kind of attitude that may just convince Barcelona to invest in his services in a permanent capacity. However, the United academy graduate has a long road ahead to prove he’s worthy of the outlay.
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