Marcus Rashford has scored seven goals and grabbed 11 assists during his Barcelona loan spell so far but a former England coach isn’t surprised that he’s playing so well
Joleon Lescott admits he’s not shocked by the impressive form Marcus Rashford is showing at Barcelona. The Manchester United loanee made the switch to Spain this summer.
After falling down the pecking order under Ruben Amorim, Rashford initially joined Aston Villa on a temporary basis in January before securing another loan move to Barcelona in July.
Since arriving at the Catalan club, Rashford has been given substantial playing time. Hansi Flick has put his faith in the 28-year-old on the left wing whilst Raphinha has been sidelined and he’s also been used as a striker. Rashford has netted seven goals and contributed 11 assists across all competitions this season.
Whilst his opportunities on the pitch might diminish now that Brazilian star Raphinha has returned from injury, Rashford has demonstrated his worth as a key part of Flick’s squad. However, Lescott, who previously worked alongside Rashford with England, isn’t taken aback by the United forward’s displays.
“I’m not surprised by what he’s doing over there,” Lescott said, speaking on In The Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet. “I believe Marcus Rashford makes a good team better. I don’t think he makes ok teams better.
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“Because the emphasis on him at Man United was that he had to do everything. I don’t think he had that in his game. Whereas I think if he’s in a good team and you want him to do certain things, he can do them. Then that team will be a lot better with him.”
Ex-Manchester City defender Lescott even confessed that when rumours emerged about Rashford’s potential departure from United, he was eager for his former club to snap up the England international.
“When there was speculation, and it wasn’t a lot, about him maybe coming to Manchester City, I would’ve wanted to sign him that day. I would’ve signed him,” Lescott revealed.
“I doubt he would’ve gone, but he definitely would’ve made City better. You look at what he’s doing at Barcelona. They have Raphinha. And Raphinha was sensational last year and they haven’t got any worse when Rashford is in there. He’s obviously a top top player.”
Rashford was relegated to the substitutes’ bench during Barcelona’s most recent victory at Villarreal, but manager Flick has already made clear precisely what the 28-year-old brings to the side.
“I try to speak to every player when they are not selected. The last time I checked with him he said, ‘Boss, you don’t have to tell me about your decisions. The most important thing is the team. We have to win the three points. The rest is not that important,’” Flick explained.
“This is the perfect mentality. I am so happy to have him. When he is on the bench, he shows that we have a good and deep squad. What I can say is that he is an absolutely professional player. In the beginning, he had to adapt a little bit, but now he is at his best level.”
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