Barcelona manager Hansi Flick made his position perfectly clear to Marcus Rashford ahead of the Manchester United player’s arrival at the Camp Nou, according to reports in Spain.
Marcus Rashford’s transfer saga at Barcelona is finally set to come to an end this week after the Manchester United forward returned to Old Trafford in July.
The 27-year-old England international’s loan spell at Aston Villa came to an end on 30th June and the Premier League club opted against making his move permanent.
Rashford trained alone at the Carrington complex amid his pursuit of a new club this summer, with the former Aston Villa star not part of Ruben Amorim’s plans.
The Red Devils player had been frozen out of the United first-team squad and was left behind after Ruben Amorim’s men embarked on their pre-season summer tour.
Rashford had been heavily linked with Barcelona in recent weeks and the United talent had been open about his desire for a ‘dream’ move to the Camp Nou.
Hansi Flick spoke to Marcus Rashford and the Barcelona manager sent a clear-cut message to the Man Utd player
Marcus Rashford left England on the weekend after receiving Manchester United’s permission to fly out to Spain to complete his move to Barcelona this summer.
The former Aston Villa forward arrived in Catalonia on Sunday and Rashford completed his medical on Monday ahead of signing for the La Liga club.
Barcelona’s agreement to sign Rashford from United is based on a 12-month loan deal with an option to buy, with the player’s price tag set at £30.3m (€35m).
The Spanish club are covering Rashford’s hefty United wages during the loan spell and the Three Lions star has also taken a pay cut to make the move happen.
According to Sport, Rashford had spoken with Hansi Flick last Thursday and the Barcelona head coach was ‘very clear’ with his expectations for the player.
The Spanish newspaper claims that Flick told Rashford that he would need to ‘earn a starting spot’ in the starting XI and would have to ‘sacrifice himself for the team.’
What is the ‘sacrifice’ that Marcus Rashford has to make at Barcelona and the Man Utd star’s position on Hansi Flick’s demands?
It is believed that Flick’s ‘sacrifice’ remark to Rashford would now require the United youth academy product to ‘significantly’ improve his ‘defensive approach.’
Sport suggested that the 60-year-old German manager had ‘warned’ Rashford about the defensive commitment that he would have to make if he played for Barcelona.
The publication reports that Flick sees Barcelona as ‘built like a machine’ and the La Liga club demands that every player ‘defends and takes responsibility’ on the pitch.
Ex-Bayern Munich and Germany boss Flick told Rashford that the ‘idea’ would be for him to play on the left wing and he could be a ‘key player’ on the ‘rare occasions’
It is believed that Rashford, who is under contract with United until 2028, ‘accepted the challenge’ that the Barcelona manager made to him during their initial talks.
The England international is aware that he will have to ‘earn his place’ in the Barcelona team and Flick walked away ‘very satisfied’ from the discussion with Rashford.
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