Rashford’s new partner in crime destroyed Man Utd and sets sights on Newcastle

Marcus Rashford is part of Barcelona’s travelling squad to face Barcelona in the first game of this season’s Champions League but he isn’t their only potential European debutant

As Barcelona prepare to take on Newcastle without Lamine Yamal, whose minutes are being managed among fitness concerns, it could be time for Marcus Rashford to step up. Thursday night’s game will be Rashford’s first taste of non-knockout Champions League football since a red card with Manchester United in 2023, and it was one of his current Barcelona team-mates who stole the show that night.

Rashford showed he still has plenty to offer at this level of football when he impressed on loan at Aston Villa in last season’s knockout rounds. He set up a goal in the round of 16 victory over Club Brugge and repeated the trick against PSG as Villa came close to a memorable comeback against the eventual champions.

Back in the autumn of 2023, Rashford’s dismissal against FC Copenhagen turned what looked like being a comfortable away win into a dramatic defeat. United led 2-0 through a Rasmus Hojlund brace when the England international landed on the ankle of Elias Jelert, with referee Donatas Rumsas showing him a straight red after a VAR check, and it was 2-2 before half-time.

United retook the lead from the penalty spot midway through the second half, but they couldn’t hold on. Lukas Lerager snuck in at the back post to make it 3-3, and Roony Bardghji – a week shy of his 18th birthday – completed the turnaround with his first ever Champions League goal.

Fast forward two years, and Rashford and Bardghji could find themselves sharing a pitch for Barcelona as they look to get their European campaign off to a winning start. And he has had to do things the hard way.

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Bardghji, a Sweden Under-21 international, had been in high demand across Europe even before that match against United. The English club were one of a number in the Premier League keeping an eye on him, but a big move was put on hold in May 2024 when he suffered an ACL injury in training.

“We all feel for Roony, and everyone in and around the club will do everything we can to help him get back on the pitch again,” Copenhagen’s sporting director Peter Christiansen said at the time. “Right now he needs to take it easy to process what has happened, but we all know him as a dedicated and deeply serious footballer who we know will come back even stronger.”

It wasn’t until March this year that he stepped back onto the pitch. After sitting out the entirety of the regular season in Denmark, he came off the bench during the Superliga’s Championship round as Copenhagen looked to chase down Midtjylland and lift the title.

They did just that, triumphing by a single point, and completed a league and couple double at the end of May. Bardghji got minutes in the cup semis against Viborg but that would end up being his final game for the club, with injury keeping him out of the final before Barcelona clinched a cut-price summer transfer to ensure he joined them a few months before his contract in Copenhagen was set to expire.

In his first interview as a Barcelona player, the winger – now 19 – said he has always been a Barca fan and always had the goal of joining the Catalan club. “I feel at home. I’ve fitted in really well with my teammates and I’m very comfortable,” he told club media.

Bardghji made his senior debut for Barcelona over the weekend, starting in place of Raphinha as Hansi Flick’s side romped to a 6-0 win over Valencia. The reigning champions’ financial situation meant they had to wait to register him, but approval arrived during the international break and he’s now ready to get up and running.

With Yamal missing from the travelling squad, a first European opportunity could arrive sooner than anticipated. He’s joined Rashford for the trip to Newcastle, but perhaps he’s not yet ready to bring up their last meeting in the competition.

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