Marcus Rashford has already landed himself in hot water with Barcelona manager Hansi Flick in a move which mirrors the issues the 27-year-old forward faced with Manchester United, according to a report from Spain.
A Dream Move
Rashford joined Barcelona in the summer on a season-long loan after a public fallout with Red Devils’ head coach Ruben Amorim.
The former Sporting manager – who arrived in November to replace Erik ten Hag – took issue with Rashford’s attitude and professionalism in training, choosing to drop him for the Manchester Derby as a result.
Rashford’s response was to release an unauthorised interview a few days after the match declaring his intention to leave United. This was not well-received by the executive branch or the coaching staff at Old Trafford.
Rashford would not play again under Amorim and a hastily-agreed loan deal to Aston Villa was sanctioned at the end of the winter transfer window.
The academy graduate enjoyed a mini-resurgence under the tutelage of Unai Emery at Villa Park, earning a recall to the England squad under new manager Thomas Tuchel. But Rashford retained hopes of a “dream move” to Barcelona, who also expressed interest in January but could not afford to complete a deal.
This changed over the summer, however, after Rashford returned to Old Trafford after Villa chose not to exercise the £40 million buy option.
This then led to United being forced to accept a loan to Barcelona, rather than the permanent exit INEOS had hoped to action for the club’s most handsomely paid player, as Rashford’s heart was set on Catalonia.
From Hero to Zero
Rashford has experienced a quiet start to life at Camp Nou with just a solitary assist from his opening five appearances for the Blaugrana.
But this took a dramatic turn after the 27-year-old forward was trusted by Flick for his first return to England as Barcelona faced Newcastle in a pulsating Champions League tie at St James’ Park.
Despite an inconsistent performance in the first half, Rashford exploded into life in the second with a well-taken header followed by a spectacular long-range effort to put his adopted side two-nil up – a triumphant moment on English soil for the England international.
This would have been expected to be the clear start of a new chapter in Rashford’s career in Spain; a key moment which he built upon in his next appearance in a Barcelona shirt, as clearly Flick would have no choice but to start him against Getafe today after such a performance.
Except as the team sheets for tonight’s fixture were announced, Rashford was conspicuously on the bench, with Ferran Torres taking his place on the left wing.
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (as relayed by Barca Universal) reveals the forward was dropped as “punishment” for being late to training.
“According to Mundo Deportivo, Rashford being benched against Getafe was a form of punishment handed out by Flick after the English forward was late for training.
Earlier this morning, the on-loan Manchester United forward arrived in training a little late. As a result, Flick has decided to omit him from the starting eleven.”
“This is not a new thing for Flick, who has been consistent with his punishment for players who come to training late. In the past, the German tactician has enforced such punishments on players such as Jules Kounde, Inaki Pena and most recently, Raphinha, who is one of the candidates to win the Ballon d’Or this month.
“With Rashford not starting and Lamine Yamal out injured, Flick has opted to start with both Ferran and Lewandowski.”
While Rashford’s skillset has never been in doubt – as Amorim openly stated when the forward was still at Old Trafford – the question marks over his attitude and application of these talents remains very much up for debate.
Feature image Clive Mason via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
