A club with a long tradition and pride in players who grew up from the academy winning the national championship by winning against a great rival, thanks to Marcus Rashford's moment of brilliance. For Manchester United, that was probably once a dream. But in reality, the team that enjoyed that joy was Barcelona, when Rashford's classy free kick contributed to helping the Catalan team defeat Real Madrid in El Clasico to win the La Liga championship.
This is a memorable milestone for Rashford as he became the first English player to win La Liga in Barcelona's colors, joining the rare group that has ever done this, alongside Laurie Cunningham, David Beckham, Kieran Trippier and Jude Bellingham.
If the financial situation was more favorable, Barcelona might have activated a buyout clause worth 30 million Euros to keep Rashford at Camp Nou for a long time. However, this deal originally only appeared after the relationship between Rashford and Man United seriously cracked. Previously, Barcelona had prioritized more expensive targets such as Luis Diaz or Nico Williams.
Rashford is seen as a less expensive and more feasible option in the context that Man United cannot sell him immediately. However, the English striker still has a significant influence in the Barcelona squad, with the number of starts and substitutions almost equal.
Statistics of 14 goals and 14 assists after 47 matches are not too explosive, but enough to affirm Rashford's important role in Barcelona's system. On average, every 87 minutes, he contributes to a goal. This achievement is even equal to the number of times Bruno Fernandes participated in goals this season.
That partly reflects the problem that Man United is facing. Although the Old Trafford team won a Champions League ticket and achieved the highest points in the Premier League since Michael Carrick returned to lead, the current squad still reveals many limitations.
The Red Devils" need more depth in force, especially in attack. This became even clearer after Joshua Zirkzee's lackluster performance in the draw with Sunderland - a match that showed he had not met expectations.
The 3-4-3 system once built by Ruben Amorim is also not really suitable for Rashford, or even for many other Man United players. The team currently does not have a true left winger. Patrick Dorgu used to play well in this position before injury, while Matheus Cunha leaned towards the number 10 role rather than a real wing player. Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo were also tested on the left flank.
In that context, Rashford is clearly still a worth considering option. In the center forward position, Benjamin Sesko is currently the number one choice. However, Rashford can also take on this role better than most other players in the squad, except for Rasmus Hojlund - who is currently playing for Napoli on loan.
Last summer, Man United spent about 200 million pounds for Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo. These are deals showing that the team is willing to pay very high fees for players who in many cases are not necessarily superior to Rashford.
Meanwhile, selling Rashford for about 30 million Euros will be considered a low fee compared to his real value, even considering his high salary and the fact that he will turn 29 next October.
However, the possibility of Barcelona buying Rashford outright is still open. In the context of tight finances, the Catalan team is likely to prioritize recruiting a world-class center forward to replace Robert Lewandowski rather than investing heavily in Rashford. The scenario of borrowing one more season is entirely possible.
Rashford himself seems to also believe that his future at Old Trafford has closed. After the explosive 2022-2023 season, prolonged decline in form and many internal problems have made the relationship between him and the club tense.
Under Amorim, Rashford was eliminated from the plan almost immediately, despite Man United's serious difficulties in scoring goals. However, Amorim left and the current situation is different.
Carrick - who was once Rashford's teammate and coach - understands the value of this striker very well. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, no player has scored more goals or assisted more than Rashford for Man United.
Last month, Carrick said that no final decision had been made about Rashford's future. And in the context that the "Red Devils" still need to significantly strengthen their attack, the English striker could completely become part of the new plan at Old Trafford.
Reconciling the relationship between the two sides is certainly not easy. But with 138 goals for Man United and still being able to shine in Barcelona's colors, Rashford is clearly not the type of player that Man United should let go at a cheap price. Especially when he can still solve many problems in their squad next season.
