Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona on a season-long loan after passing a medical with the Spanish giants, but the forward has been criticised for "letting Manchester United down"
Marcus Rashford has been slammed for seemingly "letting Manchester United down" after making the switch to Barcelona. The forward completed his season-long loan to the reigning La Liga title-holders after being presented to fans on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old has at least temporarily departed Old Trafford once again following his four-month stint at Aston Villa last season. Rashford found himself sidelined at United by head coach Ruben Amorim after his arrival in November last year.
A move to Barcelona was understood to be the England star's favoured destination after losing his place in the international squad, and he has now secured his dream, with his new club holding the option to buy him next summer for £26m.
The deal will see Barcelona cover Rashford's sizeable wages for the duration of the loan after he agreed to a 25 per cent reduction from his £325,000-a-week pay. Despite the financial relief, former Liverpool and Villa striker Dean Saunders has now slammed Rashford after questioning his commitment and arguing he hasn't earned the right to represent Barcelona.
The former Wolves and Wrexham boss also challenged the Catalan club's reasoning behind the signing. Saunders gave a savage eight word-verdict on Rashford's performances in recent campaigns, saying: "In five years, he's had one good season."
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "I think a lot of people are baffled. Hansi Flick is the manager and Deco is his director of football. I don't know what's going through their heads. What have they been watching that we haven't?
"I thought Rashford was nearer to going down the same road as Dele Alli than he was of going to Barcelona. Whether he deserves that move? Well, basically, he doesn't.
"I don't think he can produce brilliance. I think a talent is turning up every week. That's the biggest talent you've got, having the mindset to turn up and perform every week.
"There's a lot of players at Man United who have let the club down. In my era, Man United were the biggest club. If you played for them, you had to be the best player in the world in your position, with the best attitude."
Saunders added: "He [Rashford] has had years of [people] getting behind him and he's let the club down. In five years, he's had one good season."
Rashford's questionable work rate was previously highlighted by Amorim as justification for dropping him from the squad for the Manchester derby last December. During his exile from the team, the Portuguese boss delivered a damning verdict, insisting he'd rather field his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than select a player who lacks dedication.
"If you do the maximum and do the right things, we can use every player," Amorim said. "And you can see today on the bench, we missed a bit of pace to go, to change the game. I will put [Jorge] Vital [on the pitch] before I put a player that does not give the maximum. I will not change in that department."
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick gave the go-ahead for Rashford's signing after having discussions with the player. The Catalan giants have been on the hunt for a left-sided forward this summer, and Rashford was a top target, along with Liverpool's Luis Díaz and Athletic Club's Nico Williams.
Díaz's hefty price tag proved to be a significant hurdle, while Williams recently pledged his future to his current club by signing a new long-term contract. As a result, Rashford emerged as the most feasible and achievable target.
United are keen to offload players who are no longer in favour in order to finance a substantial squad revamp. The restructuring process has already begun, with Matheus Cunha joining for £62.5million and Bryan Mbeumo following suit in a £70m deal.