Will Marcus Rashford’s loan spell with Barcelona be a success?

In a summer of uncertainty at Manchester United with many players being moved on from Old Trafford, one player that was taken off their hands for at least a year is the winger Marcus Rashford by Catalan giants Barcelona. This does not come as news to many people, with Rashford’s arrival dominating the news and social media outlets, from interviews with former England and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker to many uploads on the winger’s Instagram page with his new teammates.

However, all the positivity from his PR team is all well and good, but will it actually prove it on the pitch because that is where his role is most important.

After the most magical of starts at Old Trafford, from debut goals to an FA Cup trophy in his first season,  Rashford’s career with Manchester United faced its ups and downs. Rashford’s time with Manchester United came to a head when Ruben Amorim felt like he had seen enough of the Manchester-born winger, and he was loaned out to Aston Villa.

It was clear before Amorim arrived at the club that Rashford’s head was starting to turn when his attitude on and off the field was starting to get questioned in the press and more importantly in the stands.

Rashford became far too inconsistent. running hot and cold from season to season. From heights under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to horrendous times under Ralf Rangnick and producing just moments under Erik ten Hag.

Being a local lad brought him under the spotlight more, and there is an argument that the promise was not fulfilled at Old Trafford despite two FA Cup winners medals, one League Cup winners medal and a Europa League win. With 138 goals to his name, it was time for pastures new.

As stated, Rashford moved to Aston Villa on loan, but his first choice was to take the plunge and move abroad, which is not common for English footballers. However, in January, a move did not materialise and he missed out on the domestic treble won by Hansi Flick in his first season.

Despite lots of positive talk, his time with Aston Villa was mediocre, and he did not have pundits raving. However, the main thing was that Rashford was back playing football and seemingly enjoying playing his football, which seemed apparently lost whilst playing for Manchester United in the latter stage of his United career.

United wanted a permanent move for Rashford but agreed upon a loan deal with a view to a permanent deal being agreed for €35m. However, it is yet to be seen what Rashford’s time with Barcelona can be.

Rashford went straight into being a Barca player with plenty of media attentio. He enjoyed a relativnely good pre-season with a goal in the 5-0 win over Daegu, but one clip of a glaringly bad miss against Como went viral. Rashford, instead of slotting home in an open goal put the ball wide from just 8 yards out.

Question marks hung over him before he even kicked a ball in La Liga, and Rashford had to settle for a start from the bench against Mallorca in the 3-0 win in the opening game of the season. He was comfortable in possession, but never got going into his pacey free-flowing self. One notable aspect of the game was that Rashford was immediately on corner kicks for Flick’s men.

In the next game against Levante, Rashford was employed from the start, starting on the left-hand side. However, with Barcelona surprisingly 2-0 down at half time, Flick had to change his tactics and approach to the game. Despite putting in a decent first half, he was hooked and Barcelona completed the comeback.

Rashford was the one to lose his place, but it could have been any other attacking player in all honesty. However, with Raphinha, Yamal and Ferran Torres all either scoring or assisting, Rashford will be concerned at his early place already.

In his last game against Rayo Vallecano, Rashford was uninspiring coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw. With Robert Lewandowski returning from injury, Rashford is now fighting harder for his place.

With a lot of talk and a lot of history behind Rashford, he has to show up quickly for Barcelona, especially with the game against Newcastle United in the Champions League where Rashford will return to England. With tickets still available through Ticket-Compare.com, fans will be hoping they can get off to the best start in the Champions League.

However, Rashford can bring a lot to Barcelona. Despite their abundant free-flowing attacking options, he slots well into the left wing position. He is also not adverse to playing on the right or through the middle, which is useful versatility for Flick.

When Rashford is at the top of his game, he offers pace, ferocious finishing and an improved range of passing as he can whip a ball from one flank to another very well; this has translated to why Barcelona had him on corners.

If Flick can recover the Rashford from under Solskjaer in 2019-21, where across two seasons he scored 29 league goals, it will bode well for Barcelona. He showed that form once again in ten Hag’s debut season in 2022-23 when he scored 17 league goals.

Rashford certainly has the capability to become a success at Barcelona, given his credentials, but with plenty of competition for places, nothing will be handed to him.