Flick decides Rashford won’t ‘play again’ with Barcelona star as he ‘doesn’t reach level’ – report | OneFootball

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has reportedly decided that Marcus Rashford won’t ‘play again’ with Lamine Yamal in the biggest matches.

The Manchester United outcast has surpassed all expectations since joining Barcelona on loan with an option to buy for £26m last summer.

Rashford secured this dream move after returning to form on loan at Aston Villa, with Barcelona opting to sign him after missing out on Luis Diaz and Nico Williams.

It was initially felt that Rashford would struggle for game time as he competed for starts with Yamal and Raphinha, but the England international has eleven goals and 13 assists in his 40 appearances across all competitions this term.

There have been suggestions that Barcelona’s financial issues will prevent a permanent transfer, but Fabrizio Romano’s latest update claims a prolonged stay at the Spanish giants remains possible.

Still, Rashford’s performances mean he will have plenty of options even if Barcelona ultimately opt against a permanent deal, and Man Utd have decided to let him and seven other players to leave to raise funds.

Rashford’s game time has decreased slightly in recent weeks as Yamal and Raphinha have impressed, but an injury to the latter meant the loanee started against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Rashford scored a stunning equaliser en route to Barcelona earning a valuable 2-1 victory, but a subsequent report from an outlet in Spain claims Flick ‘doesn’t want to play him with Yamal again’ because they are ‘incompatible’ and this will be especially the case on ‘big nights’.

The report explains: ‘Sharing the attack with Lamine Yamal means taking on defensive responsibilities, and Flick understands that this balance isn’t always being maintained.

‘And that’s where a player like Marcus Rashford raises doubts. The coaching staff values ​​his ability to decide matches with a single play, but they also recognise that his contribution off the ball doesn’t always reach the level required in these kinds of games. And in the Champions League, that detail makes all the difference.’

With Rashford impressing from the start against Atletico, this report needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt, especially because Flick praised the forward after the match.

“I’m very happy with Marcus. He has shown his quality and he scored an important goal,” Flick said.

“I can’t say anything about his future, we have to focus on the matches until the end of the season.”

On staying at Barcelona beyond this season, Rashford said at the end of last year: “Oh yeah, for sure [I want to].

“I’m enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player it is an honour.”

He added: “Lots of players have lots of qualities but probably the standouts are Lamine Yamal. And, for me, Pedri is unbelievable.

“I knew he was good before I played with him. But to play with him everyday is unbelievable.”