Reborn Marcus Rashford can cement new Barcelona hero status in El Clasico as Man Utd face up to being fleeced by €30m transfer option

Rashford is yet to play for Barca at the Camp Nou as it is still being renovated although he lit up the famous stadium nearly three years ago when United drew 2-2 with the Catalans in the Europa League. That was one of many high points of the 2022-23 season, when he scored 30 goals and notched 12 assists. It landed him a lucrative new contract at Old Trafford, but for many Red Devils fans their homegrown star was never the same after signing on the dotted line. 

He got only eight goals in the next season and was soon bombed out of the squad by Ruben Amorim due to a clash of personalities. But right now Rashford is in even better form than he was at the same stage of that incredible season three years ago. He has five goals and five assists in 12 games, while in that same period in 2022 he had five goals and three assists.

Rashford has really risen to the occasion in the Champions League, getting at least one goal contribution in Barca's three games in Europe's premier competition. He produced a stunning match-winning brace at Newcastle in the first game of the season and on Tuesday he finished off Olympiacos by scoring twice, as well as winning the penalty which allowed Lamine Yamal to restore Barca's two-goal cushion in the eventual 6-1 win.

Although hat-trick hero Fermin Lopez took the majority of plaudits after the hammering, there was high praise for Rashford. "The Englishman's move is a real coup. No-one doubts the success of his signing anymore," read Marca's match report. The paper also praised Lopez and Rashford for being "two players who don't make much noise, but who always contribute something to the team".

AS said Rashford had "proved he belongs in the team", predicting "he could be a weapon to be reckoned with in El Clasico. "Shirts with Rashford's name and No.14 on the back are beginning to proliferate among Barca fans," wrote Mundo Deportivo.

So often caught sulking or appearing disinterested in his last 18 months at United, Rashford has looked radiant in his first couple of months with Barcelona. Waking up each morning to sunshine and blue skies will always help but the nicer weather is not the only reason why he looks much happier in Catalonia than in his last two years in Manchester.

There was a lot of attention on Rashford's private life and he did not always help the perception of him with his ventures out into the city, such as going to a nightclub after the derby defeat by Manchester City or his boozy night out in Belfast which led to him missing a training session. Being in a different city means being away from his usual entourage and that is perhaps helping him knuckle down.

Asked what went wrong for him towards the end of his time at United, Rashford seemed to suggest he simply wanted a change of scenery after spending most of his life at the club.

"It's difficult to put your finger on what it was," he told ESPN. "In my mind it's so many years in one place, 23 years of my life was with Manchester. Sometimes you just need a change. Maybe this was the case with me. At the minute  I'm enjoying everything, so I just continue the way I am and keep pushing to do that little bit extra.

"I don't think there's much change in me, it's just a new environment, a new culture, it's one I looked forward to. I feel like I've taken good steps in my first few months here. I'm completely positive about the situation, I have to continue to be in this mindset. When I'm in this mindset it's easier for me to learn what I have to learn."

A clear difference is the relationship Rashford has with his coach at Barca and the one he had with his last two at United. Ten Hag possibly indulged Rashford as he knew how important he was, bringing him off the bench at Wolves after dropping him for being late and then starting him at Wolves a year later just days after the Belfast saga. Rashford scored in both of those games, underlining his importance.

Amorim, however, knew from the start that Rashford had the potential to be a problem for him. And even though he had scored twice against Everton after his night out, Amorim took issue with it and not long after he dropped him from the squad. Most United fans backed the coach. But Hansi Flick has taken a different approach. He had admired Rashford for a long period and when he learned he was available he urged the club to sign him as soon as possible. 

He revealed: "I told Deco [sporting director] we have to do it. Marcus is an outstanding player, exactly what we needed." Rashford was fortunate in some respects that Barca failed to land their two other targets, Nico Williams and Luis Diaz. The Englishman proved to be a much more affordable option to a club with well-known financial issues. He has also benefitted from his team-mates suffering injuries; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo have all had spells on the sidelines while Rashford has remained fit, being the only forward to play in every game this season. Rashford is also working hard and looking sharper than in his final season in England.

He has almost doubled the amount of sprints he does per game, according to Stats Perform, from 18.9 per 90 minutes in the Premier League (with United and on loan at Aston Villa) to 34.9 per 90 with Barca in La Liga. He is also covering more ground at a higher speed, covering 630 metres at a rate of 21km/h per match in Spain compared to just 122 metres at the same speed in England.

Barca are not the only beneficiaries of Rashford's change of mentality. He has remained in the England squad despite Thomas Tuchel not including Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham in his last camp.

“It is a testament to him. His mindset is unbelievable," Anthony Gordon said earlier this month. "People have written him off and he’s been through so much over the past couple of years. To get back to these levels...people will never understand how hard that is to do. He deserves a lot of credit. He's a lovely guy. He's quiet, nice and just goes about his business. The perception of him outside is quite crazy."

"Rashford is a spectacular player," defender Ronald Araujo told ESPN. "He's happy. We've spoken before about that, the confidence, the happiness [players need] and he's happy here in Barcelona. The team took to him really quickly when he arrived. You can see that on the pitch. He has quality, skills, he's quick, so explosive...he gives us a lot. We're happy he's here with us."

A lot can change between now and the end of the season but the feeling in Barcelona is that they were right to take a chance on Rashford. There was little downside to taking him on loan and given how well he has settled the sense is that Barca would be happy to pay United €30 million (£26m/$34m) next June to take him permanently. 

Barca are likely to need a new striker as Robert Lewandowski’s contract is set to expire next year and there are few players that would fit the bill for that price in a market where United paid £74m ($100m) to sign Benjamin Sesko or a combined £133m ($177m) to get Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who are a similar age to Rashford.

If the Man Utd loanee continues in his current vein of form and can help fire Barcelona to the Spanish title or the Champions League, United and Amorim will look very silly for giving up on him so soon. United’s financial prudence will also be questioned given that they had originally priced Rashford at £40m ($53m) and would have charged Premier League clubs the full fee had they been interested. But as Rashford has alluded to, there was an overwhelming sense that player and club had run their course together.

United are actually better off without the Rashford who was causing negative headlines and, in the eyes Amorim, was threatening the squad harmony. But Barca are much better off with the revitalised version of the player they have seen so far. And if he can help fire them to victory on enemy territory on Sunday, they might be tempted to sign him up there and then.