Spanish press react to Marcus Rashford to Barcelona deal, £100 million, Aubameyang, and ‘ordeal’ points made

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Manchester United have agreed to send Marcus Rashford on loan to Barcelona, beginning a new chapter in the forward’s career.

Over the past decade, Marcus Rashford has been Manchester United’s most successful academy graduate, an inspiration for others, scoring more than 100 goals for the club.

It is also time to move on. Marcus Rashford’s performances have deteriorated over the past two seasons, and he has lost the hunger to play for Manchester United, expressing his desire for a new challenge.

After a loan at Aston Villa, Marcus Rashford has now secured a loan to Barcelona. It is expected to lead to a permanent move, with Barcelona paying his entire salary for the 2025/26 season.

With Rashford in Spain to finalise the transfer, we took a look at how the deal is being received over there.

Spanish press undecided on Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford once showed what he was capable of, against Barcelona. He impressed at the Nou Camp in the Europa League in early 2023, on the way to his best ever 30-goal season.

It has been a struggle since then, and during his time at Aston Villa, Rashford picked up a hamstring injury, while scoring only four goals.

While he had no issues in his medical, Barcelona are a club haunted by injury issues suffered to big money signing Ousmane Dembele, and this has been a talking point.

Spanish newspaper AS write that Barcelona will need to manage Rashford cautiously to ensure he does not suffer a repeat of his hamstring problem.

“This type of injury is common in players of the Englishman’s caliber, speedsters with very sudden changes of direction, and if not addressed in time, can become a real ordeal.”

Mundo Deportivo focuses more on Marcus Rashford falling out of favour at Manchester United under current head coach Ruben Amorim.

Barcelona have taken on players in the past in similar circumstances, and the outlet made a comparison to former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

“It remains to be seen whether the English striker will follow in the footsteps of other players who were discarded by their clubs and who, wearing the Barca shirt, managed to redeem themselves.

“This happened with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who arrived in the 2022 winter transfer market after being ousted by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.”

Aubameyang scored 13 goals in 24 games for Barcelona, including a notable El Clasico brace against Real Madrid.

An editorial on Cronica Global is hopeful about what Marcus Rashford can bring to the club, believing he can become a valuable, highly motivated contributor.

“Marcus will be, at the very least, a solid substitute because he’s one of those footballers who brings marble to life as if sculpted by Michelangelo. 

“And he hasn’t forgotten how to play. Watch a couple of Villa games and you’ll see that his finishing, his ability to run from both sides, and his pinpoint accuracy from set pieces are still there.”

Cautious optimism over Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford was not Barcelona’s first choice. They had originally been chasing Athletic Club’s Nico Williams and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.

Rashford is the cheapest of the three, and was described by RTVE as the club’s ‘C option’.

Despite this, the outlet believes he can be an important player for Barcelona, if he can get it right with the mental side of his game.

“Speed, dribbling, vision, and a goal-scoring instinct ; the Manchester United player has all the qualities to be a standout player at Barcelona, but a lack of focus and motivation have hampered him throughout his career.”

Analyst Javi Gomez told Radio Marca that he believes Rashford is a better signing than Barcelona’s two first choice options, and notes how it was not long ago that the Manchester United player was being valued above £100 million.

He said: “I think Rashford is a better fit for Barcelona than Luis Diaz or Nico Williams. You already have Raphinha and Lamine, who are undisputed players.

“You need a Ferran Torres-type player who can serve as a substitute on the wing and as a backup for Lewandowski, and you’re getting a player who not long ago was worth 100 million.”