WHAT HAPPENED?
Marcus Rashford made his first appearance for Barcelona in a pre-season friendly against Vissel Kobe in Japan. The 27-year-old Manchester United loanee was brought on at halftime but was subbed off just 33 minutes later. Manager Hansi Flick explained the early withdrawal was due to Rashford being “a week behind the others” in terms of fitness and training. Despite his limited time on the pitch, Rashford showed defensive effort that impressed some fans.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Rashford has joined Barça on a season-long loan with an option-to-buy clause worth €30 million (£26m/\$35m). With limited match preparation, he didn’t contribute much offensively in the 3-1 win, but Flick emphasized the need to protect the player as he adjusts. The goals came from Eric Garcia, young Swedish winger Roony Bardghji, and academy player Pedro Fernandez.
WHAT FLICK SAID
“He’s a week behind the others. He hasn’t been training as much with the ball, and we want to look after him.”
“It was a very good match, a good test for us. The first 30 minutes were fantastic. After that we lost a bit of control, but the second half was also very good. I’m pleased. What they do with the ball, how they pressed us—it’s really interesting. You can tell they have a clear idea, and it’s similar to ours.”
WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?
Still behind in match fitness due to limited training at Manchester United, Rashford will use the remaining three pre-season fixtures to get up to speed. All eyes are now on Barcelona’s La Liga opener against Mallorca on August 16, where Rashford will hope to feature in better form.
