Marcus Rashford found himself on the scoresheet once again(Image: Europa Press via Getty Images)
Marcus Rashford continues to demonstrate his value to Barcelona as his future remains uncertain ahead of the summer transfer window.
The on-loan Manchester United forward is contracted to the LaLiga champions until the end of the season and while it remains to be seen whether they make the deal a permanent one, he’s certainly putting his best foot forward to make that happen.
Rashford scored Barca’s third goal in their 3-1 win over Elche on Saturday to restore their four-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table. After coming on in the 46th minute for Raphinha, the 28-year-old was a constant menace and was rewarded with a goal after smashing it in from close range, minutes after missing a one-on-one.
Despite the victory, Barca boss Hansi Flick was critical of his side’s inability to finish off the game, as he said: “We can’t keep missing these chances. It’s good that we created so many chances, but we needed to finish off the game in the first half and score many more goals.”
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“This is always our focus. We want to win every match. It’s good to see this, and we’re happy to play with confidence and play so well.” Should the Catalan side decide to sign Rashford, there have been tentative suggestions that a deal involving the forward could include Marc Casado, who Man United reportedly have an interest in signing.
However, while any possibility of a swap deal has been rubbished by Hansi Flick who said the young midfielder will not be leaving the club, the United loanee’s future is still up in the air. Rashford’s goal vs Elche, and the boost he gave the team when coming on, has now been the subject of analysis by the Spanish media.
In Marca, Fernando Carnerero praised Barcelona’s insistence to kill the game off despite missing several gilt-edged chance against Elche. The counter-attacking danger of their opponent posed a serious problem for the away side but that was extinguished by Rashford’s goal which came via a “great run” by Lamine Yamal.
He wrote: “Barca missed another chance to seal the victory when Rashford went one-on-one with the Englishman, but his shot went well wide. Flick’s men were still playing with fire with 20 minutes remaining. Elche had another good opportunity, but Álvaro Rodríguez couldn’t quite reach it and Eric García cleared it for a corner.
“However, Alejandro Muñiz signalled for a goal kick, and from that corner came Rashford’s goal to make it 3-1 after a great run by Lamine Yamal. The goal was vehemently protested by the Elche players and resulted in a yellow card for Sarabia.”
Javier Gascon of Mundo Deportivo may have lamented Rashford for missing a sitter prior to his goal but admitted retribution was earned through his goal which confirmed Barcelona’s victory.
The Spanish outlet also gave player ratings for each player that featured in the game, including Rashford. The 28-year-old earned the label of ‘opportunist’ after taking his chance in the 45-minute cameo he received. He wrote: “He came on after halftime to attack the spaces.
“Like all his teammates, he missed an unforgivable goal in a one-on-one with Peña. He made amends, scoring the third goal with a clinical finish into an empty net. Peña then denied him a fourth goal.”
The Englishman earned glowing praise from Santi Gimenez in his analysis for AS as well. The journalist pinpointed Rashford’s introduction in the second half as the catalyst behind Barcelona’s renewal of optimism.
He wrote: “But it was Rashford who breathed life into Barcelona thanks to another moment of brilliance from Lamine Yamal, who, from outside the pitch, prevented the ball from going out of play with a header, controlled it and assisted the Englishman, who unleashed a furious shot into the net, fuelled by the frustration of someone who, like so many others, had missed sitters.”
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