Marcus Rashford has reiterated his ambition to remain at Barcelona following his loan spell from Manchester United. The forward, who was sidelined at Old Trafford under manager Ruben Amorim, had a short spell at Aston Villa before securing a move to Spain during the summer.
Since joining the Catalan club, Rashford has been a regular in the team. Manager Hansi Flick deployed the 28-year-old on the left wing in Rafinha’s absence, while also using him in a central attacking role. The England international has scored seven goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions this season.
Back in October, ahead of his first El Clasico clash with Real Madrid, Rashford made his intentions clear about his future, declaring that he wanted to continue playing in Spain. Speaking to Sport this week, Rashford underlined his determination to stay and help Barça win silver.
“Of course, what I want is to stay at Barça,” he told Barcelona-based publication Sport. “That’s the end goal, but that’s not why I train hard and do my best. The aim is to win. Barça is a huge, great club built to win titles.”
Rashford also revealed that moving to Barcelona gave him the pressure he “wanted” as a footballer. “There’s pressure here, but it’s not negative pressure, it’s what you want as a player, what I want as a footballer and what I always want,” he added.
“I can’t be in a place where important goals are not required. For me, it is more difficult to be motivated and give my best at a club where the demands are not the greatest. I am in the best place and environment to continue my journey as a footballer, so I just try to do my best every day and contribute to the team’s victory. Let’s see what happens next summer.”
Furthermore, Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo gave their view on his future, suggesting the England star is “closer to staying than leaving.”
Barcelona manager Flick is known to be a fan of the winger and has previously praised his attitude and mindset. “When I talk to the players, I explain why they didn’t play,” Flick said.
“When I tried to explain to Rashford why he wasn’t a starter, he said: ‘There’s no need to explain. What’s important is that the team wins and gets the three points. Nothing else matters.’ That’s the right way of thinking and I’m happy to do it with us.”
Rashford is currently on a short break ahead of the festival season and is not scheduled to play again for Barcelona until the game against Espanyol on January 3. On Tuesday, he gave his Instagram followers a sneak peek into his downtime.
Barcelona have the option to make Rashford’s move permanent for around £26 million, and recent reports in Spain suggest the club are prepared to exercise this option.
However, given their financial woes, Barcelona may try to negotiate a lower transfer fee with United. There are also suggestions that Rashford may have to agree to a pay cut if the move becomes permanent.
