Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene at Manchester United. He found the back of the net twice on his debut in a Europa League win over FC Midtjylland. The forward then scored another brace and made an assist in a 3-2 win over Arsenal in the Premier League.
Rashford was a bright light for United in a difficult post-Sir Alex Ferguson era for the club. He won the Europa League, two FA Cups, and two EFL Cups with the Red Devils. It was expected that the player could emulate Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes in being a one-club man.
It did not turn out this way for Rashford, though. He seemed to lose form after signing a five-year contract in 2023 that gave the player £325,000 a week. Rashford went from a golden boy whose actions led to the government overturning a controversial decision on free school meals to a player who missed a match with Newport County after going on a night out in Belfast.
Another reason besides his new deal that could have sent the player off the rails was that he split up with his fiancée also in 2023. Rashford was frozen out by Ruben Amorim at United and was sent on loan to Aston Villa for the second half of last season.
Can Marcus Rashford get back to his best at Barcelona?
When Rashford announced that he wanted to leave United, he would have been thinking that a top club, such as Barcelona, would come in for him. He was linked with the biggest teams in European soccer, but ended up at Aston Villa.
His spell with Villa was fruitful; Rashford scored four goals, with six assists in 17 games. This resulted in a recall to the England squad. However, his season was cut short by a hamstring injury. Villa did not sign him permanently, but, Rashford's dream of playing for Barca could now come true.
The Daily Mail has reported that "Rashford is the subject of loan interest from Barcelona this summer. Rashford made his desire to play in Spain clear in recent days when claiming he would love to feature alongside Lamine Yamal.
"Barca are weighing up approaching United over a deal for the next season, with the Reds hoping to secure a loan fee. The La Liga champions want a straight switch and for United to subsidise a portion of Rashford’s wages of more than £300,000 a week."
Barcelona could give Rashford a new lease of life. It is believed that moving to Villa and getting out of Manchester was good for the player last season to get away from other influences. Therefore, a transfer to another country should be even better for the player.
Marcus Rashford will give El Clásico more of an English feel
Joining either Barcelona or Real Madrid is the dream for many players across the world. We have seen fellow Englishman Gary Lineker play for Barca, and he scored a hat-trick for them against Real Madrid in El Clásico.
Real Madrid now has not just Jude Bellingham, but Trent Alexander-Arnold also as England internationals on their roster. This is sure to make La Liga's popularity grow even greater.
There was a huge boost in interest in Real Madrid when they had England players David Beckham, Michael Owen, and Jonathan Woodgate on their side. Now, if there were to be Rashford lining up against Bellingham and Trent, El Clásico would be even more of a must-see match for English soccer fans.