Marcus Rashford is showing good form again at Barcelona, with the club’s sporting director giving his take on what went wrong for him at Manchester United.
Rashford is on loan with the Catalan giants and has started making his presence felt in recent weeks.
He scored twice in a Champions League win at Newcastle earlier this month and started in back-to-back La Liga wins over Real Oviedo and Real Sociedad, providing an assist in both games, although he was dropped to the bench against Getafe for being late for training.
Barcelona sit top of La Liga and are back in Champions League action on Wednesday in a glamorous tie against PSG.
It is a far cry from Rashford’s time at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, which saw him fall down the pecking order and then leave on loan to Aston Villa for the second half of last season.
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There was apparently no way back into Amorim’s first team plans for the England international and he managed to get his dream move to Barcelona, which the Spanish club are very pleased about.
Deco, Barca’s sporting director, feels that there was too much asked of Rashford at Manchester United and it was difficult for him to shine, not just under Amorim but with the change in managers from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, to Ralf Rangnick, then Erik ten Hag, before Amorim’s arrival.
‘What we thought he could bring to us, he’s bringing,’ Deco told Mundo Deportivo. ‘He’s a very high-level player; he exploded very early, then he had great seasons at United, then he had more complicated management years with changes of coaches, and perhaps he also struggled because they demanded a lot of things from him there.
‘But we’re happy with him; that’s the most important thing.’
Rashford is on loan with Barcelona for the season, but the club have an option to make the deal permanent next summer.
While Deco is very happy with the Englishman, he says a decision will be made on his future at a later date.
‘He has a simple loan, there’s no penalty. If we want him, we have a purchase option,’ said the former midfielder. ‘It’s too early to talk about decisions for next season, but what matters is that we’re happy with him.
‘These aren’t decisions for now; now it’s time to focus on the upcoming games. A decision will be made, but that’s not being discussed now.’
On the amount Rashford would cost next year, which has been reported to be around £26m, Deco did not give much away.
‘I don’t know. It’s not that high, but I don’t have to say it either,’ he said. ‘There’s a contract between the clubs, but it needs to be discussed.’
After his memorable brace against Newcastle, Rashford spoke out about how much he is enjoying life with Barcelona and playing under manager Hansi Flick.
‘It’s going good,’ he told TNT Sports. ‘Obviously learning a lot, it’s a new way of football. I’m enjoying it all and I think it’s making me a better player. That’s what I’m here to do, help the team win but also try and improve and be the best I can.
‘Honestly it’s an amazing experience, I’ve always been a huge admirer of Barcelona. Most people my age have watched them play from when we were younger, so it’s amazing football, amazing players and we just want to win as much as possible.’
On Flick he said: ‘He’s a top coach, top man manager and he’ll be delighted today,’ said Rashford of his boss. ‘With the three points and the confidence that the team showed, believing in the way we wanted to play.
‘Most goal kicks, they’re pressing so high and we’re still trying to play from the back, the times we got out we looked like a positive team and with the quality we have we can always make things happen.’