Manager Hansi Flick has declared that Marcus Rashford has “fitted in” to Barcelona’s squad, as speculation continues to mount over his long-term future at the Camp Nou. The England star joined Barça on a season-long loan from Manchester United last summer and has impressed during his time at the club, scoring 11 goals and providing 13 assists in 40 appearances in all competitions.
Rashford also helped Barca extend their advantage at the top of La Liga by scoring the opening goal in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid. Giuliano Simeone’s goal put Atletico ahead, but Rashford quickly equalized and Robert Lewandowski scored the winner with three minutes remaining. Barca have a £26m buyout option for Rashford at the end of the season, but it remains unclear whether the club are willing to trigger that clause and make the temporary move permanent.
Nevertheless, Flick spoke glowingly about Rashford in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference as Barça prepare to host Atlético in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. The former Bayern Munich manager praised the fact that Rashford has sharpened his defensive press and suggested he could be in the running for a new starting spot.
“We need to not only have the ball and press, but also defend, but he (Rashford) is doing well and adapting,” Flick said. “We play against Atlético and they are good on the flanks.”
This comes just days after Flick revealed he was “very happy” with Rashford’s performance after his goal in the win over Atletico. The German said: “I’m very happy with Markus. He showed his quality and scored an important goal. I can’t say anything about his future. We have to concentrate on the game until the end of the season.”
Rashford has not featured for United since December 2024 and was stripped of his number 10 shirt by Matheus Cunha under former head coach Ruben Amorim last summer. Ahead of that, Amorim sparked a controversy when he said in a thinly veiled statement on Rashford that he would immediately appoint a 63-year-old goalkeeping coach as his replacement, rather than a player who is unable to give his best.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa and was forced to train separately from United’s first-team squad during the summer before joining Barça. Speaking to ESPN towards the end of 2025, Rashford made his intentions regarding a permanent move to Barça abundantly clear.
He said: “Oh, for sure. I enjoy this football club and I think for people who love football Barcelona is one of the important clubs in the history of football. For the players it’s an honor.”
