Barcelona chose to sign Anthony Gordon over Marcus Rashford this summer and now the Manchester United star is also competing with him for an England spot.
This week, it was confirmed that Barcelona will not trigger Rashford’s £26m buy option included in his 2025/26 loan deal.
Barcelona did, however, sanction a £68m deal for Anthony Gordon this summer. The 25-year-old has seemingly taken Marcus Rashford’s place in the squad.
On Wednesday, England beat Costa Rica 3-0 and Thomas Tuchel selected a strong starting XI. Rashford, however, found himself on the bench while Gordon started.
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Barcelona’s decision to sign Gordon over Rashford is a head-scratcher for many. Rashford racked up 28 goal contributions last season and was a much cheaper option.
One theory is that Gordon has a better defensive workrate than Rashford, but that wasn’t necessarily the case in the last England match.
| Marcus Rashford | England stats vs Costa Rica | Anthony Gordon |
| 19 | Minutes played | 71 |
| 2 | Defensive contributions | 0 |
| 1 | Tackles won | 0 |
| 1 | Clearances | 0 |
| 100% (4/4) | Duels won | 71% (5/7) |
Despite playing just 19 minutes to Gordon’s 71, Rashford had more defensive contributions, more tackles won, and a higher duel success rate than his England counterpart.
Gordon did etch his name on the scoresheet, but it was from a penalty, which was also his only shot of the game.
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Marcus Rashford has a point to prove in 2026 World Cup
Rashford cut ties with Barcelona on social media immediately after the news broke that they won’t be signing him.
His future is now up in the air, but his focus has to be on proving a point in the 2026 World Cup.
Up against Gordon for a spot in the side, Rashford can prove to Barcelona that they made a mistake.
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A strong World Cup campaign for Rashford is also in the best interests of United, as the forward would drum up interest and raise his value in the transfer window.
If Rashford’s work rate is being questioned and compared to Gordon, the best thing he can do is do his talking on the pitch.
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