Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has now sent a clear-cut message about the role of Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford at the Camp Nou this season.
Marcus Rashford was shipped out of Old Trafford in the summer and the 27-year-old Manchester United player completed a sensational loan move to Barcelona.
Barcelona have agreed to cover Rashford’s mammoth United wages during his 12-month loan spell, with the United star agreeing to a pay cut as part of his move.
United’s deal with Barcelona over Rashford includes the option for the defending Spanish champions to make his transfer permanent for £30.3m in 2026.
Rashford had been surplus to requirements at Old Trafford after he fell down the pecking order under United head coach Ruben Amorim during the 2024-25 season.
Hansi Flick and Barcelona agree on one major detail about England and Man Utd star Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford received the opportunity to revive his career away from Old Trafford last season after he completed a loan move to Aston Villa.
The Manchester United youth academy product spent the second half of the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Villa Park before his loan spell with Aston Villa ended in June.
Rashford’s loan spell at Villa included an option-to-buy fee of £40m, but the Premier League club opted not to make the England star’s move permanent in the summer.
The former Villa forward has now been afforded another opportunity away from United, with Rashford establishing himself as a key player for Hansi Flick.
Flick has now explained that Barcelona have found incredible “value” in the “fact” that Rashford is capable of playing in different roles on the pitch for the club.
“Marcus can be a No 9 or a No 11,” he said, as per TNT Sports.
“When we think of him, we value the fact that he can play in more than one position.
“He has given us a lot of positives and, of course, he can play as a centre forward.”
Hansi Flick is not afraid to experiment with the role of Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford at Barcelona
Both Ruben Amorim and United managers of the past have experimented with playing Rashford down the middle during his hit-and-miss spell at Old Trafford.
However, Rashford has struggled to establish himself as a regular centre-forward, with the Three Lions international preferring to play out in a role on the left wing.
Flick’s approach with Barcelona signing Rashford, on the other hand, has seen the 60-year-old German coach remain committed to his experiment with the player.
Rashford has played out on the left wing for Barcelona at times instead of Raphinha, but Flick has continued to use the United star’s versatility when it is needed.
The former Aston Villa player has played down the middle for Barcelona when Poland captain Robert Lewandowski has not been leading the frontline for Flick’s men.
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