Marcus Rashford is growing at Barcelona and Hansi Flick talks about why the Manchester United loanee settled in Spain so quickly after his summer move
New manager Hansi Flick says Marcus Rashford is benefiting from Barcelona’s “atmosphere” and new style of play after joining him on loan from Manchester United in the summer.
The forward got off to a good start at the Camp Nou, scoring six goals and providing nine assists in 16 games for the Catalan giants. The England international was particularly effective in the Champions League, scoring four goals and providing two assists in the competition.
Rashford’s return to England will take place in Europe’s premier tournament, with Barça traveling to west London to take on Chelsea. The 28-year-old’s situation is very different to the one he began developing 12 months ago, when United’s academy product was struggling to get on with new manager Ruben Amorim.
Rashford was immediately left out of the match-day squad and was looking for a new club before committing to his dream move to Barça.
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And Flick believes that, unlike his previous clubs, Barcelona foster the perfect environment and system for Rashford to thrive. The German manager also confirmed Rashford will be fit to play against Chelsea after coming down with the flu. “I’m very happy for Marcus,” Frick said.
“He has come back from a cold, but he is fine. I will decide tomorrow whether he starts or comes off the bench. But I am happy that he is in the team and that he can play for Barça.”
“I have followed him throughout his career and have always been impressed by his quality and ability in the box, and he has shown that at Barcelona. The new style of football, with the great weather in Barcelona, has changed him…
“For me, it’s incredible to see him smiling all the time. That’s the atmosphere here and it’s very good for him.”
Flick has also been forced to defend his role at Barcelona due to recent injuries. A string of players are said to be facing problems, including Rafinha, Lamine Yamal, Gabi and Alejandro Balde.
“I don’t read a lot, but I’ve read about people being injured,” Frick said. What I can say is that I’m not angry at the medical staff. We have a great staff with a wealth of experience. As for Rafinha, he has made mistakes in this situation, everyone makes mistakes, but it’s normal and human. Still, we trust all of our staff. The rest is just noise.
“We are taking it step by step with Rafa. The important thing for me is that he comes back. The minutes and how much he plays will be decided later. He has been injured twice, which is not good at this stage, so we will be careful. We played on Saturday and saw the difference right away, so I am very happy to see his dynamism, the creation of space and to have him back.”
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