How will Marcus Rashford do at Barcelona?

Karan Ahgun

— 3 min read
How will Marcus Rashford do at Barcelona?

Marcus Rashford's loan move to Barcelona was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, and you couldn't find a happier person in football than the former Manchester United forward. Barcelona have attempted to sign Rashford in previous times, including during the last January transfer window but it's this summer where everything has aligned for the deal to be completed. So, how will this move pan out for Rashford?

After being booted out of the Manchester United match day squad in December last year, it has always felt like Rashford's dream move was to play for Barcelona. Now that the move has finally been completed, there will be intrigue from fans as to whether a new country and a new league will provide the spark for Rashford to reignite his career. Although the England international was not Barcelona's first choice signing in the attack, there is still a lot of optimism and joy at securing such an explosive talent, and the likes of Hansi Flick and Deco will be hoping that Barcelona's super attacking style of play will fit perfectly with what Rashford does best. Rashford's versatility is of great appeal to Barcelona. The Catalan club already have a wealth of options in attack, including Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha and Dani Olmo but with the addition of Rashford, Hansi Flick will be able to put out different combinations of these players in order to find solutions during sticky periods in matches. There's also the factor of being able to give players time to rest, especially as Robert Lewandowski is no spring chicken and Raphinha started nearly every match last season.

Marcus Rashford will be extra motivated to succeed during this loan move as he will be working towards the goal of making Barcelona his next permanent destination in his career. Rashford's love for Manchester United has been and still is clear to see but circumstances have meant that he no longer has a future at his boyhood club. This transfer is seen as a win-win for all parties involved. United get to write off Rashford's wages for this season, Barça get someone in to bolster their attack, and the player gets a chance to prove that he is still worthy of a place at an elite football club. Expectations for Barça's new no.14 will be high. If Antony's loan spell at Real Betis last season is anything to go by, fans will be fully expecting a sizeable amount of goal contributions from Rashford. He still possesses that explosive burst of speed, and boasts quite an impressive goalscoring record against Spanish teams. The most notable performance came against Barcelona themselves in the 22/23 season, where Rashford was unplayable for Man United.

With the array of exceptional talent around him, it is hard to see how this move for Rashford goes bad. From training footage released by Barcelona, Rashford already seems to have good relationships with the likes of Koundé, Yamal and Pedri. These relationships will be pivotal to this loan move's success and those who are fans of Rashford will be excited by the prospect of him linking up with so much talent in La Liga and the Champions League!

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