Marcus Rashford has named Barcelona teammate Pedri, who continues his loan spell at the Catalan giants from Manchester United, as an exceptionally talented player. The England forward secured a temporary mid-season move to Barcelona in the summer transfer window and has adapted smoothly to life at Camp Nou.
The 27-year-old has made 12 appearances in Barcelona colors so far this season, scoring five goals and providing a further six assists. Two of those goals came on Tuesday night in the club’s 6-1 win over Olympiakos in the Champions League.
Pedri wore the captain’s armband for this game and Rashford praised the midfielder’s talent. He singled out Pedri as the team’s standout player and emphasized the benefits of playing together.
“A lot of players have a lot of qualities, but probably the one that stands out is Lamine Yamal. And Pedri for me is incredible,” he told ESPN.
“I knew he was good before we played together, but it’s unbelievable to play with him every day.
“Relationships on the pitch are something I’m still learning, but they’re really important. They’re the little things that make a difference come game day.”
“They have very high quality. It’s a perfect scenario to play with players like this.”
Rashford and his colleagues are preparing for the first El Clasico of the season, away to Real Madrid on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the game, the United loanee made his position on his future clear and expressed his desire to remain in Spain permanently.
When asked about extending his stay at Barcelona beyond his current loan deal, Rashford declared: “Oh, for sure. I enjoy this football club and I think for anyone who loves football, Barcelona is one of the important clubs in the history of football. It’s an honor for the player.”
Barcelona have the option to make the deal permanent for a fee of around £26m. According to a report in Spain by The Sun, the club are ready to exercise the option.
Nevertheless, Barça may consider trying to negotiate a lower price with United given their financial difficulties. He added that Rashford could be forced to take a pay cut if the move becomes permanent.
