THE Camp Nou was the scene of one of the best performances of Marcus Rashford’s career. The Manchester United forward scored one goal and played a key part in another as Erik ten Hag’s team drew 2-2 away to Barcelona in the Europa League. This was a demonstration of Rashford at the peak of his powers.

It’s perhaps therefore unsurprising that the decision makers at Barca have been so willing to offer Rashford an escape route out of Old Trafford this summer. The 27-year-old is expected to complete a loan move to the Spanish champions in the coming days, with his Manchester United career all but over. 

The Rashford who turns out for Barcelona this season will be very different to the player who put the Catalans to the sword in the Europa League two years ago. Back then, Rashford was enjoying his best-ever goal-scoring season. He finished the 2022/23 campaign with 30 goals in all competitions. Last season, in stark contrast, he scored only seven.

Rashford’s Barca loan is his last chance to prove he belongs at the top of the game because his form over the past two seasons has led many to question whether the player once seen as a big part of Manchester United and England’s future will ever be seen again. Barcelona have gambled on a new club and a new culture reviving Rashford.

Hansi Flick reportedly pushed for the signing of Rashford after Barca missed out on Nico Williams. The German is believed to have admired the English winger for a long time and sees him as a good fit for the Barcelona side he moulded into title challengers and Champions League semi-finalists in his first season in charge.

 

While it’s true Barcelona’s fast and furious style of play could suit Rashford, the 27-year-old will have to earn his place in the starting lineup. Raphinha was Barca’s first-choice left winger last term, and he scored 31 goals and 17 assists in all competitions. These are the sort of numbers Rashford will be expected to produce for his new team.

Flick will also expect Rashford to work hard out of possession. Barcelona are just as quick to win the ball back as they are to move it forward, and so Rashford will have to show the sort of work ethic that has been missing from his game in recent times. Ruben Amorim will be watching Rashford’s effort as a Barca player with great interest.

There were glimpses of Rashford’s best form on loan at Aston Villa. He registered four goal involvements in 10 games (four starts) for Unai Emery’s side but still didn’t do enough to convince Villa to pay the £40m transfer fee that would have made his stay there permanent. Rashford will have to find an even higher level to satisfy Barcelona.

 

In many ways, Rashford has fallen upwards. He is joining a much better team than the one he is leaving. Barcelona won’t just be in the Champions League this season; they will be one of the teams expected to compete to win it. There’s a very good chance Rashford will get his hands on at least one piece of silverware even if his Barca stint lasts just one season.

And yet this feels like a career reckoning for the 27-year-old. Perhaps undeservingly, Rashford has been given a platform to get back to his very best. This could be a watershed moment for him as he moves on from everything that weighed him down as a Manchester United player. Alternatively, it could confirm once and for all that the best version of Rashford is never coming back.

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