Barcelona make five-word Marcus Rashford statement after 'biggest humiliation' on debut
Barcelona have promised fans that they will soon see Marcus Rashford in his prime. The Manchester United forward completed a loan move to Catalonia earlier this summer.
The Spanish giants have a £30m option to sign him permanently come the end of the season. Rashford has since had a slow start to life with his new club.
He was substituted on and then off on his debut against Japanese side Vissel Kobe. And while that would usually be embarrassing for footballers, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick explained it was simply for fitness reasons.
"We're being very careful with Marcus because he just came from an injury and he hasn't started training completely with the ball," Flick confirmed, before adding: "He's [Rashford] a week behind the others. He hasn't been training as much with the ball, and we want to look after him.'
Rashford then made his second Barcelona appearance against FC Seoul, where he was reunited with former United star Jesse Lingard. And Barcelona have now offered an exciting update on the forward, by claiming he will be at top form sooner rather than later.
Writing on Twitter, the Spanish giants said: 'We'll see prime Rashford soon.' Rashford has a couple more chances to impress in pre-season against Daegu and Como ahead of their first La Liga game of the season against Mallorca.
Giving his verdict on his move, Rashford claimed that Flick can help him rediscover his best form. He said: 'I feel very good, it was a good performance, and it was truly wonderful to play in front of the Barcelona fans, and it was beneficial for physical fitness.
'I'm looking forward to the upcoming matches. We won today, but it's important to adapt to the team, get into the playing style and deliver good football.
'I believe Hansi Flick can make me play good football. I will play where the team needs me and try to score goals and create them from those positions.
'I'll listen to any information I hear from Flick and try to apply it to matches to help the team. My favourite position? I prefer the left side, but I can play in different positions, one of my strengths is being able to play various roles.'
Rashford spent the second half of last season with Premier League outfit Aston Villa, scoring four goals in 17 appearances. Villa did have the chance to sign the forward permanently but decided not to activate that option.
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