Marcus Rashford’s Barcelona loan couldn’t have gone much better to date, but the Manchester United loanee was served some tough news this week as his parent club suffered a setback
After months of progress at Barcelona, Marcus Rashford was dealt a rough hand this week. That’s after the Manchester United loanee was forced to watch from the sidelines as the rest of his team-mates in Catalonia made history.
Back at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim is hard at work preparing for a January transfer window that could be transformative for the club. The Red Devils are finally on the rise this season, and much of that has been down to the squad improvements made in the summer.
That being said, United may have to restructure their winter plans amid reports one target would prefer to join a direct rival. Mirror Football examines the latest happenings around the Theatre of Dreams in Monday’s media roundup.
Rashford misses out on Barca dream
Saturday marked a special day in Barcelona’s calendar after the club finally made its return to the renovated Camp Nou after two years away. The Blaugrana battered Athletic Club 4-0 in the first fixture to be played at the remodelled stadium, but Rashford was nowhere to be seen.
“Marcus Rashford will miss today’s match against Athletic Club due to flu,” read an official club statement. And the news excluded Rashford from being part of the historic unveiling of Barca’s new-and-improved venue.
READ MORE: Barcelona issue new Marcus Rashford statement in blow for Man Utd outcastREAD MORE: Man Utd news: Ruben Amorim left surprised by star as transfer demand issued
Rashford had previously communicated his ambitions to play in the upgraded Camp Nou once it was open for business. Speaking at an open training session earlier in November, he said: “It’s a very nice feeling. It’s a beautiful stadium and when it is full it’s going to be unbelievable.
“Camp Nou was always one of my favourite stadiums and one I wanted to play in. But to play on it for Barcelona is going to be a different feeling. I can’t wait to be on the pitch. I will enjoy it.”
The silver lining is Rashford will still get his chance to be a part of Barca’s line-up when they welcome their first capacity crowd at the Camp Nou. Saturday’s game was played in front of a crowd of only around 45,000, with some renovation work still ongoing.
When the work is complete and the stadium is fully up and running, it’s expected to house up to around 105,000 fans. And given Rashford’s impact under Hansi Flick so far this season, one would imagine he’ll be one of the first names on the team sheet provided he’s fit when that occasion comes around.
Adeyemi wants Arsenal ahead of United
One target being touted for a move to Old Trafford of late is Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi. However, United’s chances of landing the German have taken a knock after it was reported he’d prefer to join Arsenal instead.
Despite a complete overhaul of their attacking line-up in the summer, the Red Devils are being linked with more forward reinforcements in 2026. And Adeyemi looks like a realistic target after it emerged talks over a new Dortmund deal are understood to have stalled.
The 23-year-old winger’s current contract runs until the summer of 2027, meaning Dortmund will be expected to accept a lower fee for his services. However, that hasn’t prevented reports suggesting the Black and Yellows want £75million for their man, which is believed to be more than United are willing to pay.
That could give Arsenal the opening they need to swoop in should they decide they see more value in his signature. On the plus side, United share a largely positive relationship with Adeyemi’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who has helped execute the signings of clients like Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte in recent years.
The supposed £75m price-tag becomes that much more difficult to justify considering Adeyemi has fallen somewhat out of favour under Niko Kovac. The attacker was an automatic starter for much of the first half of this season but has been benched for their last three Bundesliga games, scoring just four times in 15 games across all competitions this term.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
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