Marcus Rashford can consider his loan move from Manchester United to Barcelona to have been a success so far. His English-speaking German coach Hansi Flick is an advocate and supporter, his teammates like him and fans do too.
The National spoke to several people who watch Barcelona very closely either as fans or for professional reasons. We asked them to rate Rashford’s spell at Barcelona so far out of 10 and the consensus was an impressive "8/10".
Rashford, 28, has scored eight goals in all competitions and provided 12 assists. He’s assisted more in the Uefa Champions League than any other Barcelona player and only Fermin Lopez has scored more in the competition than Rashford’s four. He will have a chance of adding to those totals in Wednesday’s home game against Copenhagen.
Rashford’s stats are solid but not spectacular and nor were they expected to be. He is not the star player in the side which boasts some of the very best players on the planet in the likes of Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.
Nor is he a supporting act, but someone who features in most Barcelona games. He has started in 18 of their 31 games so far and Sunday’s 3-0 home win against bottom of the table Oviedo was a rarity when he didn’t get any minutes.
The only other time Rashford has not featured in any of Barcelona’s 21 league games was when a fever took him out of November’s home win against Athletic Club.
Rashford usually starts on the left but has featured on the right or as a centre forward for a team who top the table and also won the Spanish Super Cup with a 3-2 victory against their great rivals Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia.
He is beyond the halfway point in a one-year loan which Barcelona has the option to make the transfer permanent for €30 million.
Flick has consistently praised Rashford, perhaps seeing the positive reaction he’s had from the Mancunian. He also said that no decision has been made outright as to whether Barcelona want to sign the forward or not.
Rashford’s United contract, which makes him one of the best paid players in world football on a reported £325,000 per week before tax, runs until 2028.
That contract was signed during the 2022/23 season when he scored 30 goals in 56 games for United – and two of his best games were against Barcelona in the Europa League.
Rashford had run his race at United and the club wanted him to move on after 426 games and 138 goals over a decade from 2015.
It was removing his wages from their books that was United’s primary motivation with them needing to cut costs, more so after failing to qualify for European competition this season.
But clearly a player performing well for one of the best teams in the world has a transfer value. With his reputation enhanced after his move to Catalonia, there are likely to be more suitors for Rashford this summer than last.
For his part, he has consistently said that he is happy at Barca and he’s long wanted to play for the Catalans. He lives close to the Mediterranean near Barcelona airport in an area popular with footballers – Lionel Messi lived nearby and has kept his family home there.
Being away from Manchester, where he’d spent his entire life, and living in sunnier climes in one of the best cities in the world has also been positive for Rashford. He’s won his way back into the England international frame ahead of the World Cup finals.
The National understands that Manchester United, now managed by interim coach Michael Carrick, have no plans to bring Rashford back. United – and Barcelona – both want the best deal possible.
Barcelona know that their loanee wants to be at the club and will negotiate as hard as possible, while United won’t want to give up a footballer of his quality for a lower fee than has been agreed – yet his wages affect the deal. There are very few clubs in the world who can afford those sums.
A compromise will likely be needed if Rashford is to stay at Barcelona, one where he agrees to take a lower wage. From Barca's perspective there’s plenty of this season left – and it's one which could end up being great with Rashford a central part of it.
