The biggest beneficiary of the Marcus Rashford move to Camp Nou on loan with a buy-in clause was the English striker.
Rashford has moved from the 15th-placed team in the Premier League last season to the reigning La Liga champions and is among the brightest candidates for the Champions League title.
Rashford will be playing alongside Lamine Yamal, a wish made public in his interview last month. It was thought that the 27-year-old player did not have a chance when Barcelona tried to sign Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao and Luis Diaz of Liverpool, but everything went smoothly after those deals did not come true.
This is not something anyone at Old Trafford had imagined in 2023, when he signed a five-year contract worth £325,000 a week, after an excellent season with 30 goals under Erik ten Hag.
Rashford's form has clearly declined in the following season. Although he initially received support when Ruben Amorim replaced Ten Hag last year, Rashford was quickly left out of the first team due to disciplinary problems and poor training form.
In what could be Rashford's last game against the "Red Devils", away to Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League last December, he was substituted after just 56 minutes and was praised by some fans when he left the pitch.
Many things may change when his loan deal with Blaugrana ends next summer. Even a change of coach will reopen the door for Rashford at Old Trafford. However, in reality, Rashford has almost no chance to return to this team. This seems to be a necessary farewell as both he and the club need a fresh start.
Now, Rashford must prove to Barcelona that he deserves to sign a long-term contract. If they can repeat their peak form like the 2019-2020 and 2022-2023 seasons, the decision to buy a unit will become easier, especially when the buyback clause is only at 26 million pounds. He is only 27 years old and still has a lot of time to develop.
Rashford's biggest challenge is to maintain stability both on and off the pitch. The time spent on loan at Aston Villa in the second half of last season has brought many positive signals to Rashford.
Under the leadership of coach Unai Emery, Rashford seems to have revived, contributing 4 goals and 5 assists after 17 matches in all competitions, before his season had to end early due to injury.
Rashford may not start in every match, but Barcelona will not accept a high salary if he does not play an important role in the team's plan.
At the very least, the presence of the England international will help increase the depth of the attack and allow coach Hansi Flick to flexibly rotate positions, especially on the left wing.
Robert Lewandowski has maintained his impressive form despite his age, with his club's best season scoring in his career, reaching 42 goals.
However, Lewy will turn 37 next month, and his playing time needs to be properly controlled. Therefore, Rashford could become a valuable replacement for Lewandowski's position.
