“End this farce”: Neville fumes at the treatment of prolific United loanee by club

Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford has had something of a rollercoaster season at FC Barcelona this year. Up and down On the face of it, he has been in fine form, scoring 11 goals and providing 13 assists in all competitions on loan. However, since Christmas, Rashford has struggled for consistent game time, often starting matches on the bench. Nonetheless, with Raphinha picking up an injury on international duty, Rashford has been given the perfect opportunity to cement his place in the team. He made a strong start by scoring a crucial equaliser against Atletico Madrid in the league last Saturday, but was incredibly wasteful in front of goal during Barcelona’s 0-2 defeat to the same opponent in the Champions League midweek. He will be hoping to make a big impact in the Catalan derby against Espanyol later this evening. Gary Neville’s thoughts Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has given his thoughts on Rashford’s performances while speaking on the Sky Sports’ Stick to Football podcast. Neville commented positively on Rashford’s performances this season, stating, “Rashford moved to Barcelona, played over 40 games, scored 11 goals and provided more than 10 assists; he looked dangerous once again. The player deserves credit; he has certainly regained his form.” Nonetheless, there have been rumours that the permanent move to Barcelona might be in jeopardy as the Catalan club pursue cheaper options. He claimed, “but now Barcelona want to say they can’t pay the full agreed sum of £26 million? That’s ridiculous! Manchester United loaned him out at a time when the club desperately needed to, and included a very reasonable clause in the contract. Rashford performed well, his market value rose slightly, and suddenly they want to haggle? No, that is unacceptable.” Finally, Neville advised his former side to stand firm and not give in to Barcelona’s pressure. Neville asserted, “end this farce. This is how Barcelona operate in every window. If you want the player, pay what you agreed or send him back—it’s that simple.” The Catalans have an option to make the deal permanent, believed to be for as little as £25 million. Marcus Rashford Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesStartsGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played LaLiga2515582-1,417′ UEFA Champions League10554–484′ Copa del Rey4311–249′ Supercopa20—-32′ Total412311132-2,182′ Featured image Denis Doyle via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.