According to a surprising report from the Spanish media, Barcelona are considering the possibility of returning Marcus Rashford to Manchester United after a difficult start to his loan spell.
Rashford joined the Catalan giants at the end of July, ending a difficult day at Old Trafford after being left out of the first team by coach Ruben Amorim.
The winger has played in all three of Barcelona's opening La Liga matches but has yet to leave an impression after a total of 95 minutes of play. In the 3-2 win over Levante last month, Rashford was in the starting lineup but was withdrawn in the first half as the Catalan team was leading 2-0.
Rashford also came off the bench in the opening win over Mallorca and a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano. However, both experts and fans are still not convinced that he can become an important factor in the team.
According to Spanish media, Barcelona's leadership has also begun to express concern, admitting that they expect the English striker to perform more at this stage.
The Blaugrana board have judged Rashford's performance to be disappointing and believe he will improve soon. However, their patience will certainly not last forever.
In fact, Joan Laporta's president and sporting director Deco have never been really convinced to sign Rashford, as they have prioritized other targets such as Nico Williams or Luis Diaz. However, Hansi Flick was the one who pushed for the deal. He believes he can help Rashford regain the form that made him a star at Old Trafford.
After the opening match of the season, the German coach affirmed that he was confident that his new student would soon make a big impact at Camp Nou.
"He gave us more options. I know Rashford is most comfortable playing on the wing, but with his strengths, he still contributes a lot to the overall play.
I believe we will see an excellent version of Rashford this season," said the German captain.
However, Barcelona will have to spend around £4.3 million if they want to terminate their loan deal early and send Rashford back to Man United. This is similar to Chelsea. The Blues also paid the Red Devils a £5m fee after refusing to activate Jadon Sancho's buy-off clause at the end of last season.
This new development will make 2025 even more volatile for Rashford, after he publicly disagreed with Amorim. The Portuguese captain did not hesitate to criticize the English striker's unprofessional attitude during training sessions.
Earlier this year, Amorim was a vocal critic of Rashford, claiming that he would rather let 63-year-old goalkeeper Jorge Vital play than use a player with a lack of dedication.
"I think the only thing a football player should do is practice every day, carefully down to every detail. If Rashford does not change, I will keep the decision. For every player, as long as you are serious and hard-working, I will create opportunities for everyone.
When looking at Man United's bench, people will certainly see a lack of players with good speed. However, I would rather have goalkeeper Jorge Vital on the bench than a person who refuses to contribute every day (on par with Rashford)" - Amorim said.
