Rashford shows true colours with Barca actions as Man Utd get brutal reminder

Marcus Rashford has been in fine form for Barcelona since joining on loan from Manchester United and has already achieved one of his personal targets for the season

Marcus Rashford is rapidly closing in on a personal milestone he set himself for his loan stint at Barcelona. The England winger secured his switch to Spain from Manchester United over the summer after finding himself frozen out by Ruben Amorim’s plans.

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal predictably limited Rashford to brief substitute appearances during his opening weeks at the Catalan giants. But fitness problems have elevated him to a key role under Hansi Flick – and he’s seized that opportunity.

Rashford has delivered a goal contribution in five of his previous six outings across all competitions, including an assist before his spectacular double against Newcastle United in the Champions League. Making his return to St James’ Park, Rashford nodded Barcelona ahead before unleashing a sensational long-range effort.

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He has since provided assists in his subsequent three appearances, serving as a stark reminder to United of his capabilities.

His most recent came earlier this week versus Paris Saint-Germain – a sublime first-time delivery to Ferran Torres.

With Barcelona hunting a decisive goal following Senny Mayulu’s leveller, Rashford was withdrawn as Flick justified his substitution.

“I think you could see in the second half that some players were very tired. Marcus, Pedri, [Frenkie] De Jong,” he told Diario AS.

“They gave their all on the pitch. At 1-1, you have to defend better. You have to learn and improve against teams of this quality.”

Despite the looming threat of injury, Rashford’s stellar performances have earned him a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the forthcoming October international fixtures.

He netted a goal in the 5-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Serbia last month, but it appears that’s not his primary focus. As per Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo, Rashford is setting his sights on racking up between 30 to 40 assists this season.

From his initial nine competitive outings for the Catalan giants, Rashford has already chalked up four assists and with approximately 40 matches still to play, he’ll need to step up his game. Given he’s playing alongside the likes of Raphinha, Yamal, Torres and Robert Lewandowski, it’s hardly surprising he’s set such an ambitious goal.

However, Flick will undoubtedly be expecting more goals from him, particularly with Yamal joining Raphinha on the injury list. The 27-year-old is yet to find the back of the net in La Liga this season, but he’ll be aiming to rectify that when they face Sevilla on Sunday afternoon.

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