Things are not always as great as they seem. Marcus Rashford, a homegrown talent, a boyhood supporter of Manchester United and statistically one of the best producers ever at the club. Rashford scored 138 goals in 426 matches for Manchester United, that's 15th all-time on the clubs scoring list.
But things got shaky at United following Erik Ten Hag's first season as manager when the club finished 3rd with 75 points, and Rashford was the catalyzed scoring 17 goals. The following season, Rashford scored just 7, in a downward spiral season which United just wasn't able to find any chemistry. Fans quickly used Rashford as a whipping boy.
The following season, 2024/25, which turns out to be his last with Manchester United, Rashford only scored 4 goals in 15 matches before a loan to Aston Villa in January, where he scored only twice in 10 matches in a failed loan move by the Birmingham club.
Online bullying, of a player once looked at as a future club legend, a player who many thought would be part of a special generation which finally brings "football home" for the England national team, seemingly fell off the face of the football world. With the World Cup less than a year away, he even stopped scoring for England.
Not only a whipping boy by the fans but also seemingly lost his managers Ruben Amorim trust. Amorim didn't want Rashford anymore at United either. Not only was he becoming a distraction to the club, his high wages making it difficult for United to operate around it, but Rashford didn't fit into Amorim's strategy. One thing about Amorim is, if he is to succeed at United, he will need to do it his way, with his players and anyone not lining up to be his solider just has no place on the team. United needs to stop forcing guys into managers' plans, only because they were paid a high wage and now the club is struck with that player.
No player has ever needed a life-line more than Rashford did at this moment to resurrect his falling career, at just 27 years old.
That's where Barcelona comes in. Fantastic manager in Hansi Flick- who knows how to get the best out of players. When he took over Bayern Munich, the thought was they needed a full reconstruction. The players were hating football, nobody had any fun anymore and the team wasn't winning. Life under Niko Kovač almost destroyed that Bayern team. Flick came in, sat down with players, and installed love of the game in them. That's exactly what Rashford will need. A manager who won't be afraid to helping him become a happier version of himself.
Weather in Spain will be great, he'll get to play with mega talents such as Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, among others in their star studded team. The team will be winning, regardless of the form Rashford will come in. The pressure will be low, he's only coming in as one piece of a big puzzle, and not any longer is the puzzle. And soon, sometime in October Rashford will play under the brightest of lights in European football, in the El Clasico, vs Real Madrid and his good friend Trent-Arnold Alexander.
A big season from Rashford will propel him back to national team success, and it wouldn't shock me in the least, if Rashford finishes the upcoming season with a successful 2026 World Cup next summer.
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