Marcus Rashford has given a new update on social media after being dropped to the bench for Barcelona’s final game before Christmas. The 28-year-old, who has impressed for Hansi Flick’s side since his summer loan move from Manchester United, watched from the sidelines as his team traveled to Villarreal on Sunday.
This tactical gamble proved fruitful for Flick and Barcelona, with Rafinha starting and scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 win at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Lamine Yamal added his second goal as the Catalan giants re-established their place at the top of La Liga with four points after Real Madrid’s win over Sevilla. The United loanee came on in the 63rd minute for Fermin López, and although he missed a golden chance to extend Barcelona’s advantage, his cameo certainly caught the eye.
Spanish newspaper Marca described Rashford as “dangerous”, while AS noted that Rashford had caused “damage” on arrival, praising his dribbling ability in particular.
Rashford took to Instagram to share an update with supporters as Barcelona go on a two-week break with their return scheduled for Saturday, January 3 against Espanyol.
Rashford posted two snaps of himself soaking up the winter sunshine, captioning them: “Ghost emoji, sun emoji.”
Rashford has been on the bench in five of Barcelona’s last eight games across all competitions. When asked about how Rashford coped with the reduction in minutes, Flick said earlier this month: “I try to talk to all the players who weren’t selected.
“The last time I checked with him, he said: “Boss, you don’t have to tell me about your decisions. The most important thing is the team. We have to get the three points. The rest is not that important.” This is the perfect mentality.
“I’m very happy to have him. When he’s on the bench, he shows that we’re a good, deep team. All I can say is that he’s a completely professional player. At first he had to adapt a little bit, but now he’s at the highest level.”
The forward has made 24 appearances for Barcelona this season, scoring seven goals and providing 11 assists.
He has made quite an impression at the Camp Nou and it is widely expected that Flick’s outfit will turn his temporary spell into a permanent placement. He has a buyout clause of £26 million, but reports suggest Barcelona will try to lower the price when negotiations resume later in the season.
Barcelona’s next match with Rashford will be against Espanyol, who are fifth in La Liga, on January 3.
