This past summer, Marcus Rashford has fulfilled his wish to leave Manchester United after many months of publicly expressing his desire to seek a new start. The English star joined Barcelona on loan with a buy-in clause worth 30 million pounds. With the ability to play flexibly in attack, Doctor is considered an economic and potential solution for Hansi Flick, especially when Barca missed both main targets Luis Diaz and Nico Williams.
In fact, Rashford has impressed in pre-season, leaving many expectations that he will be reborn in the new football environment. However, after only 3 matches in La Liga, the patience of the Nou Camp leadership is gradually running out. El Nacional said that Barca are seriously considering the possibility of terminating their loan deal early and sending Rashford back to Old Trafford in the January transfer window.
Despite being brought on from the bench in the 3-0 win over Mallorca in the opening round and then his first starting match against Levante, Rashford still could not leave a clear impression. In that match, he was even withdrawn at the end of the first half when Barca were trailing 0-2. The decision to replace him with Dani Olmo helped Barcelona turn the situation around, winning a dramatic 3-2 victory, unintentionally turning Rashford into a supporting character in an impressive comeback.
According to El Nacional, Rashford was almost invisible on the pitch, being judged to be lucrative, inaccurate and lost. These comments show growing disappointment, especially when he is expected to have an immediate impact. President Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco did not fully trust Rashford at first and only accepted the deal because they failed to recruit other priority targets. In other words, Rashford is Hansi Flick's personal gamble.
After the match against Levante, the Blaugrana captain still tried to protect his student when he affirmed: "Rashford had a few situations that showed quality. We need to continue to let him prove himself."
However, the decision to replace Rashford early in the important match has partly shown that the trust of the coaching staff is no longer as solid as before.
If Barcelona decide to return Rashford to Man United in the winter transfer window, they will have to accept a fee of 5 million Euros (4.3 million pounds). This is not too big a price compared to the financial potential of the Catalan team, especially when they are under pressure to improve the quality of their squad to defend the La Liga title and the goal of conquering the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Man United will fall into a difficult situation when they previously saved about 12 million pounds of Rashford's salary thanks to this loan deal. Once Rashford returns, the "Red Devils" salary fund will be huge again, in the context of Sir Jim Ratcliffe making efforts to cut costs and restructure personnel. With M.U no longer considering Rashford a long-term pillar, receiving this player back in the middle of the season was certainly not in the original plan.
In addition, Rashford made controversial statements about Man United last August. Sharing on Gary Lineker's podcast, Rashford said Man United are in "unknown land" and the process of rebuilding under Ruben Amorim has not really started. Previously, the M.U captain himself had removed the name of the "Doctor" from the plan since the middle of last season.
Rashford's journey is truly worth pondering. Once hailed as a new symbol of Old Trafford, he has been on a downward trend in recent two seasons. The loss of form, combined with the huge pressure in a chaotic team, forced Rashford to leave for a chance to rebuild his form.
However, instead of being a boost back to the top, the adventure at Nou Camp is turning into a nightmare. When he is no longer surrounded like at Man United, Rashford's weaknesses in stability, decisiveness and mentality are more obvious than ever.
The question now is what Rashford can do to turn the situation around when there is not much time to prove himself. Barca need immediate contributions to serve their ambition to defend the title, while the English striker must prove that he is worthy of the trust Hansi Flick has put in him. Otherwise, the prospect of him being returned to Old Trafford after only half a season is a completely feasible scenario.
