‘Absolutely rubbish’ Marcus Rashford rumour addressed amid talk of Barcelona making shock call on Man Utd loanee

Rashford has managed three La Liga appearances so far, but only one start, against Levante, where he was substituted at half-time. Reports from El Nacional have claimed Barca chiefs see him as “shy, imprecise and lost” and have been weighing up an early termination of his loan. Such a move would reportedly cost Barcelona around £4 million; however, Balague has now rubbished the reports.

Balague strongly refuted the claims on social media, writing: "Absolutely rubbish that Barcelona is planning to end up early Marcus Rashford's loan deal. Barca told his representative that they have a lot of confidence in Rashford’s potential and that they believe he will recover as a top player. No more to say, apart from the fact I agree with Gary Lineker and his treatment by some media."

Rashford left Old Trafford after Ruben Amorim exiled him from the first-team picture and placed him in United's 'bomb squad'. After missing out on primary targets Nico Williams and Luiz Diaz, Barca settled on Rashford, though some doubts about his signing were always present. However, the La Liga champions are prepared to remain patient, trusting he can rediscover his best form in Spain.

Rashford still has almost a full season to prove himself at Camp Nou and win a permanent transfer. A £30 million buy option was included in the loan deal, giving Barcelona flexibility should he find consistency. For now, he remains firmly in Flick’s plans and could feature again when Barca host Valencia in their next La Liga game on September 14.