Barcelona appear to be stuck on a long-term deal with Marcus Rashford, with more than two years left on his contract with Manchester United, and a return could still be the solution.
Marcus Rashford wants to turn his loan deal at Barcelona into a permanent move (Image: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
You can watch lots of highlights, read about him and ask your friends who are knowledgeable about La Liga issues. But to be honest, it’s hard to know how happy Barcelona are with Marcus Rashford’s contribution since he arrived on loan last summer.
Much of the feedback and atmosphere seems to be very positive and the consensus is that Rashford wants to make this move permanent. But to be fair, why wouldn’t he? It’s Barcelona.
Even more difficult to determine is whether Barcelona want to sign Rashford permanently. Coach Hansi Flick paid a fitting tribute to Rashford, describing him as a “good option” and praising his decisiveness and versatility. that’s nice.
But Rashford, who started and scored twice in the first phase of the victory at St James’ Park last August, returned to Newcastle as a substitute last Tuesday and was given 20 minutes to make an impression. Flick likes Rashford but has used him relatively sparingly.
He has started 14 of Barcelona’s 27 La Liga games. He has started four of Barcelona’s nine Champions League games. His numbers are reasonable. He has 5 goals and 4 assists in the Champions League, and 4 goals and 8 assists in La Liga.
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He started three of Barcelona’s five Copa del Rey matches, scoring one goal and providing one assist. He made two substitute appearances in the Supercopa games (against Athletic Club in Saudi Arabia and against Real Madrid), but did not score or assist.
He has had some strange injury problems and on the face of it, all the numbers suggest that Rashford has performed well in Spain so far, but not surprisingly.
Incidentally, they also report that Rashford hasn’t racked up many miles this season. Manager Thomas Tuchel likes him and will almost certainly include him in his World Cup squad.
Hansi Flick used attackers sporadically
And the England manager will have far fresher players than many in this competition. If Rashford is one of the stars of the 2026 World Cup – and that is not out of the question – then a £26m buy-out option would seem logical for Barcelona.
However, their transfer policy could be complicated by politics and finances. No wonder Rashford’s future is still unclear.
But one thing to be clear is that a return to Manchester United would not be as far-fetched as many think. Surely it’s time for a clean slate, whether it’s Michael Carrick or someone else, unless a permanent move to Barcelona materializes?
Michael Carrick has always been a fan of Marcus Rashford and a return to Manchester could still be an option (Image: OLI SCARFF, AFP via Getty Images)
Because here’s the thing. On 25 February 2016, it was exactly 10 years since Rashford made his professional debut, scoring twice in United’s 5-1 victory over FC Midtjylland in the Europa League. Still, the best may yet be yet to come for a player who doesn’t turn 29 until October. This is a player who should be in his prime.
Is his relationship with Old Trafford’s class society truly irreconcilable? Carrick or someone new will likely be in charge at the start of next season. It will be a different era than the one he left behind in such a vitriolic way.
Maybe Barcelona are keen on him and only want to make him their own on an official basis, maybe they see him starting more games than he has this season, maybe they see him as the team’s leader. Or maybe not. And if not, perhaps Rashford and United need to think about starting fresh.
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