Barcelona are unwilling to pay £26m for a Manchester United loanee, but have just paid £70m for a fellow England player.
England’s Marcus Rashford training in Miami (Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Marcus Rashford made 70 appearances for England, 16 of which were in tournament football. Although manager Gareth Southgate did not take him to Euro 2024, the upcoming World Cup will mark the fifth time Rashford, 28, has reached a major international final.
He played twice in Euro 2016, five times in the 2018 World Cup, five times in Euro 2020 (2021) and four times in the 2022 World Cup. However, 14 of those 16 appearances came as a substitute.
And his two starts – against Belgium in Russia eight years ago and against Wales in Qatar at the last World Cup – were essentially bad group games for England. Their advance to the knockout stage was already certain.
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Southgate never trusted Rashford to start in the games that really mattered, and ultimately didn’t trust him to join the team. And that’s one reason why Rashford has so much to prove at the 2026 World Cup.
In fact, he has been a major contributor to England’s challenge. Firstly, it’s hard to believe that Rashford expected Anthony Gordon to move to Barcelona soon.
The view from Rashford’s and Camp Nou’s camp is that Gordon’s surprise £70m move to Barcelona will not necessarily influence whether the on-loan Manchester United attacker stays or leaves. But that’s hard to believe.
Anthony Gordon’s £70m move to Barcelona surprised many (Image: Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images)
From a personal point of view, it would be understandable if Rashford was a bit miffed by Barcelona’s reluctance to pay a £26m buy-out option for him, when they were willing to pay nearly three times that amount for Gordon. Ok, Gordon is 3 and a half years younger than Rashford and could be more salable
But will he be a significant upgrade? We will find out what manager Thomas Tuchel thinks when he names his squad for the opening match against Croatia on June 17th.
Given the situation in America, the replacement will have a lot of work to do, but Tuchel’s first choice will still tell the story. It would seem strange to say that Rashford has a lot to prove, considering he has made 426 appearances for Manchester United and well over 500 for club and country.
Will Marcus Rashford be able to perform at his best for England in America? (Image: 2026 The FA)
But Barça’s reluctance to pay him a relatively small transfer fee suggests they have some reservations. His time in Spain was generally viewed positively, with his 14 goals and 14 assists being very respectable.
But some would like a reminder that even after a decade at elite level, Rashford is truly a world-class talent. And if he reminds everyone at the World Cup that if he is selected ahead of Gordon, his blue-chip options at the club front will suddenly become much more plentiful.
Rashford, who has played in four tournaments and won 70 caps, remains one of England’s fringe players. All in all, it would be a good time for him to take center stage.
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