Last weekend's match against Levante was Marcus Rashford's first for Barcelona. The England striker did not leave any remarkable marks before being substituted. When Rashford left the pitch, many fans did not applaud, partly showing their frustration when the new signing from Man United did not meet expectations.
In the thrilling win over Levante, Hansi Flick arranged Marcus Rashford to play on the left wing, Ferran Torres to play as a center forward, and the other wing was Lamine Yamal. With this arrangement, Raphinha drifted from the left wing to play as a "number 10" right behind Torres.
This tactic, if used in video games, may be suitable, but on-field reality shows that it does not meet Hansi Flick's requirements. Rashford made a rather impressive start to his debut. He had a cross near the touchline and a dangerous run, sending the ball deep into the Levante penalty area. However, just then, the new England player was almost invisible on the pitch.
Barca's squad against Levante also lacked determination in the challenges and speeds. This has helped Levante have many lightning counter-attacks after regaining control. Two of those chances were finalized by the home side in the first half, helping Levante take the lead in just the first 45 minutes.
After Rashford's poor performance in the first half, Flick took out this rookie to replace him with Dani Olmo and brought Raphinha back to the left wing. Almost immediately, Barca's playing style changed dramatically. Pedri and Torres' goals brought the match back to a level playing position before Yamal made the opponent score an own goal in the 90+1 minute.
It would be too harsh to blame Rashford for Barca's unsatisfactory first-half performance. However, those 45 minutes of starting point showed that Rashford was only a reserve option for the Camp Nou team, not qualified enough to start in the squad of big stars of Hansi Flick.
This is a huge obstacle Rashford needs to overcome, it is much more difficult than being loaned at Aston Villa because Barca is a team of great stature. If he shines at Barca, whether he is bought by the Camp Nou team in the summer of 2026 or not, Rashford can still easily find a new destination. Conversely, if he is returned to Old Trafford next summer, being left cold is a possible prospect. Not to mention that at that time, the ticket to the 2026 World Cup with the England team will be completely re-buy. It will be a tragedy at the age of 27 for "Doctor" and he did not want that to happen.
Barca's loan to Rashford and acceptance of paying his salary is extremely surprising, but with such a great opportunity, if Rashford did not know, he could only blame himself. Barca has been a stronger team than Man United in the past 10 years and to visit Camp Nou, Rashford should consider it a privilege. Not to mention the willingness of coach Hansi Flick to give him a starting opportunity, if he still does not have a notable highlight, Rashford should consider leaving the top European leagues.
