Rashford’s career has been a mixed bag, with great early promise fading dramatically in more recent times. Do those in Barcelona regard him as good enough to make a meaningful impression for his new team?
Jamie Easton Gombau: Well, it depends on which Marcus Rashford we see. A few years ago, he was quite something – one of the best players in the Premier League. But if he gives the same level of performance that we saw last season for Aston Villa, that won’t be good enough for Barcelona.
We need to understand one thing: Barca have effectively swapped Ansu Fati for Rashford, and Fati isn’t the player we saw a few years ago. So I think it’s a win-win for Barca and for Rashford… and maybe also for Manchester United, because if he scores and assists in double figures, his market value will go up.
Toni Padilla: It will be hard for him to start a lot of games, because Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski are already there. Torres and Olmo won’t be too happy that Rashford is in town because now they have more competition, but Flick has asked to have a deep squad so Rashford will have opportunities. It’s on him: he needs to prove that he deserves to play in the big games.
Jordi Pons: I remember when Rashford was young and promised so much. He beat defenders, ran up and down the wing, and above all I liked his shot from mid-range.
Sometimes players can lose their way, but I see someone who is willing to drop his salary and try to re-establish himself in a team like Barca. A few years ago, everyone was talking about how great he was, and what a huge career he was going to have. Now he’s got a big opportunity ahead of him to return to that world-class level.
