Benchwarmers united: what Real’s top talent can learn from Rashford | OneFootball

When Marcus Rashford scores a goal, his index finger has been pointing to his temple for quite some time. "It's about mentality. I used to have problems with that. Now I'm in the right mental state," the Englishman explained his goal celebration a few years ago. In recent weeks, this gesture has been seen much more frequently. Rashford is thriving under Hansi Flick at FC Barcelona and is even considered one of the key players. 

That looked completely different about a year ago. Back then, the former jewel of Manchester United was only part of the so-called "Bomb Squad," the group of outcasts who weren't even allowed to train with the professionals.

Real Madrid's super talent Endrick isn't quite there yet, but the 19-year-old is struggling to find his footing after a mixed last season and the appointment of new coach Xabi Alonso. In 13 competitive matches this season, the Brazilian hasn't spent a single minute on the pitch. Since he also missed the Club World Cup and the extremely short pre-season due to injury, his last appearance in a competitive match was over 150 days ago. 

Alonso wants to gradually reintroduce the youngster to match play, as communicated more frequently in recent weeks. And so Endrick sulks week after week on the bench of the Royals. According to 'The Athletic,' the coach informed his protégé several weeks ago that, given the competition in the offense, it could be difficult to get playing time. Real's greatest talent had imagined things quite differently, especially after being awarded the prestigious number 9 jersey at the start of the season.

As a consequence, not only does Endrick himself prefer a transfer in winter, but the Royals are also ready to loan him out in January. Fittingly, Endrick's father recently posted on Instagram, but the post has since been deleted. He wrote: "Your moment will surely come, whether at Real Madrid or another club." 

Marcus Rashford is currently demonstrating impressively that such a change of scenery can pay off for personal development, with eleven goal involvements in twelve games.

Speaking about his current top form, the 27-year-old told 'ITV Sport': "Of course, consistency plays a big role. I feel like I've been in an unstable environment for a long time, which makes it even harder to perform consistently." A clear dig at his former club in Manchester.

Hansi Flick and his coaching team were apparently able to provide him with this environment and, above all, revive his joy of playing. The former national coach, in particular, advocated for a transfer of the right-footer: "I told Deco this summer: 'Please get me a player like Marcus Rashford. I'm very happy to have him here. Rashford was an opportunity in the transfer window that we had to take," Flick revealed at a press conference in September. 

The fact that the opportunity for Rashford arose again, after things were already tense in the previous winter but failed due to the Catalans' financial difficulties, is also due to the failed summer talks with high-profile alternatives like Luis Díaz or Nico Williams. Díaz chose Bayern, Williams extended his contract in Bilbao. 

Rashford, on the other hand, left no doubt about how much he wanted to play for the Blaugrana and thus also lived up to the motto of Barça's club legend Johan Cruyff: "If you have doubts about playing for Barça, then you don't belong here."

The truth is, Rashford also benefited from the tense personnel situation in Barcelona. With Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Fermín López, and Dani Olmo missing for various phases of the current season, Rashford, originally intended as a substitute, seized his chance very successfully and proved many critics wrong who doubted he could find his footing at this level again, especially those from his homeland.

Given his strong performances, a permanent transfer seems increasingly likely. Barça would have to transfer nearly 30 million euros to Manchester. 

This development could certainly serve as inspiration for Endrick. Unlike Rashford, he hasn't fallen out with the coach or struggled with major performance fluctuations. How could he, at the tender age of 19? Endrick also hasn't had to endure years of negative headlines from the notorious British tabloids. Nor was he subjected to a social media witch hunt after missing a penalty in the European Championship final. 

The situation for Real's mega-talent may not be as drastic, but it's not necessarily less complex, especially regarding the mental component. Due to his age, he is experiencing this phase for the first time at a top club in Europe.

The dream of participating in the World Cup next year is also fading due to the lack of match practice. Recently, the new Seleção coach Carlo Ancelotti omitted the youngster from the squad. 

Ultimately, the role of a perpetual substitute led to great dissatisfaction in both cases, albeit to different extents. Rashford was helped by his strengthened mentality to climb out of this hole. His goal celebration currently fits his situation more than ever. Perhaps we'll see it again tonight in El Clásico. Endrick, in the Real Madrid jersey, will naturally have something to say about that, whether as a benchwarmer again or with his first minutes of the season under his belt. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 MANAURE QUINTERO - AFP or licensors