Marcus Rashford is making the most of his loan to Barca to once again establish himself as one of the continent’s footballers with the most offensive potential. His bet on the Camp Nou is yielding the expected results, and the Englishman, at 28, is enjoying the new opportunity football has given him. His numbers are extraordinary, and although he has had to reinvent himself to understand a style absolutely different from what he was accustomed to, his adaptation is progressing adequately in that regard.

Of the player owned by Manchester United, it has been explained — and partly with reason — that his indisputable virtues were far from what the winger position demands at Barca. And partly that is true, hence his capacity for improvement remains enormous and his fit in the style imposed by Hansi Flick, as well. In fact, the German asked more of him in a news conference: “We always look at goals, the final passes, but as a coach, he can give us much more. That is what I want to see. I am very happy with him; he is giving us what we ask of him, but he has more potential,” he said.

The manager is the one who trains with him daily and knows his potential better than anyone and is aware that, beyond the statistics, he can do many more things that, although they do not appear in the highlights, contribute enormously to the team. He is working on that, but the truth is his fit has been enormous, and that forces Barca to make a decision regarding his immediate future. On July 1, he must return to Manchester United if the Catalan club’s sporting directorate does not make a move.

His purchase price was stipulated when the loan was negotiated, and the option to buy that Barca has is €30 million. The Catalan entity would like to be able to lower that amount, but already knows that will not be possible because the English club is not willing to discount a single euro from what was signed. At Old Trafford, moreover, they consider it a “low” price, more than affordable. Transfers that move in England are much higher, and Rashford still has a strong reputation in the Premier League.

Not only are his goal-scoring and assist records remarkable in his first months as a Barca player, but little by little, the substitute label in the Englishman is fading. And his presence in the team is becoming much more regular than could have been assumed in the summer. In part, of course, due to the physical problems Raphinha has been experiencing this season, but also because he has earned Flick’s trust.

In fact, he is the fourth player in the squad with the most minutes played, a total of 1,970, surpassing undisputed starters such as Raphinha (1,409) or Pedri (1,820), but also players usually used from the start like Ferran Torres (1,748), Fermin Lopez (1,817) or Dani Olmo (1,552). However, the best goal-scoring average belongs to Barca’s No. 11 with a goal every 108 minutes, while Marcus, among the six players with double-digit goals, has the worst average (a goal every 197 minutes). Ferran Torres follows Raphinha with a goal every 109 minutes, and next appears the best center forward the squad has, Robert Lewandowski, with a goal every 114 minutes.

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