So far, so very, very good for Marcus Rashford at Barcelona. At least in terms of the numbers he has posted to date.
After the win against Celta Vigo last time out, the Manchester United loanee now has six goals and eight assists in the 16 games he’s played in all competitions.
That’s better than Lamine Yamal – though the youngster has played five games less – and it has presented Hansi Flick with quite the conundrum when Raphinha is fully fit again.
Let’s not beat around the bush here… were the Brazilian not out of action, and had both Lamine and Robert Lewandowski also not been sidelined, we would have seen less of Rashford.
A lot less.
However, the 28-year-old has taken the chance afforded him with both hands and will want to lean into the fact that you don’t change a winning team.
Raphinha won’t accept being sidelined, of course, and clearly Lamine and Lewy are also confirmed starters, so where does Rashford fit in?
Suggestions that he could play as a second striker behind the Polish international aren’t without foundation, but that would likely require the loss of Fermin Lopez from the midfield, and given the Spaniard’s abilities and willingness in a defensive sense – something Rashford sorely lacks – that’s a no-go.
Indeed, the England international’s Achilles heel is a reticence to track back and supplement his defensive colleagues as needed.
Ruben Amorim clearly wasn’t happy with this side of his game whilst at United, and that may well have contributed to Rashford being made available for a loan.
Only on very odd occasions in 2025/26 has the player tracked back, and when one considers the effort Raphinha puts in to this side of his game, there’s a cogent argument that a lack of defensive work would be the reason Flick could leverage when deciding whether to leave Rashford out or not.
Of course, the German does have to consider whether the winger is a good stylistic fit for the first team too. It’s not the overriding point that will influence any decision, but it does have to be weighed up accordingly.
Ultimately, Flick will live and die by his decisions, just as he has done with his insistence on playing a high defensive line that clearly isn’t working well at present.
Whether or not he considers Rashford the right man for the job at various points during the season is his prerogative, and only at season’s end will those decisions be seen as positive or otherwise.
