Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund were both in action in the Champions League on Wednesday evening
Marcus Rashford maintained his brilliant form for Barcelona in their Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain, despite the encounter ending in a 2-1 defeat.
The Manchester United loanee earned his sixth start for the Catalan giants, continuing an outstanding streak of recent displays. Across his previous five outings, he has chalked up five assists, with the latest coming against PSG.
After Lamine Yamal won possession high up the field and sparked a swift break, Rashford whipped in a pinpoint cross that teed up Fermin Lopez to fire home into the bottom left corner. It marked his fifth assist in nine appearances for the Spanish heavyweights, having also found the net twice during his stint.
Barcelona were chasing their second triumph in the tournament after claiming a 2-1 success at Newcastle United in the opening round of matches. The 27-year-old bagged both strikes on his return to English shores.
Boss Hansi Flick has been delighted with the winger's settling-in process, recently revealing to Marca: "Everyone could see it in the last games. In Newcastle [scoring two goals] he gained a lot of confidence. It's not always easy, he came from another league. He is adapting well."
Rashford's former United teammate, Rasmus Hojlund, also had a remarkable evening, netting both goals in Napoli's 2-1 home win over Sporting Clube de Portugal. The 22-year-old, also on a season-long loan from United, now has two goals in four games for Napoli.
The Italian giants have an obligation to buy Hojlund at the end of the season.
As for Rashford, Barcelona hold the option to secure the transfer permanently in 2026 for a sum of £30million. However, Barca sporting director Deco has suggested that a verdict over his future remains undecided.
"It's too early to talk about decisions for next season, but what matters is that we're happy with him," he said this week. What we thought he could bring to us, he's bringing.
"He's a very high-level player; he exploded very early, then he had great seasons at United, then he had years of more complicated management with changes of coaches, and perhaps he struggled too because they demanded a lot of things from him there."
The England international still has three years remaining on his contract at Old Trafford, which he signed in July 2023, following a career-best 30-goal season in the 2022/23 campaign for the Red Devils.